


Big Bad Rogue

by J_P_Lupine



Series: Original Works [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Ass-Kicking, Attempted Sexual Assault, Biting, Blood and Gore, Denial, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Exophilia, F/M, Fluff, Mates, NSFW, Pack, Teratophilia, Werewolf Mates, Werewolf Rogue, Werewolves, do not copy to another site
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2020-10-29 16:19:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20799485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_P_Lupine/pseuds/J_P_Lupine
Summary: Mia was spitfire and a Hell on Earth when pissed off.  She  traveled to photograph the beauties of the world that humans only dreamed of laying eyes on. She made good money with her work, sending a bit of her cash back home for the family, and she always visited during the holidays.However, her nearly perfect life she had going gets put on the line when she finally encounters her fated mate and she swears the Moon Goddess has made a mistake because of one simple thing.... He's a rogue.(Published Date: Dec 25, 2017)





	1. Roadkill Dinner

The sound of the engine roaring drowned out everything else as the open road expanded before me. The dashed lines sped past my side as I carried everything I needed in a backpack strapped to my shoulders. My body pressed closely to the motorcycle as the air whipped around me and the visor on my helmet put a dark film over my sight. The sky overhead was mostly clear other than a few wispy clouds, and a giant vulture cast its shadow over the road as it flew over.

Fields of corn were placed between meadows of dry and lush grass as the sea of the forest rolled back and forth like waves to the road. I was at utter peace as I rode, and I was totally alone to my thoughts as I was heading to Eagle Arrow Pack territory. I had arranged to stay there for a while, being allowed to photograph their land.

That was how I made a living- visiting pack territories and photographing them. No human would ever be able to actually lay their eyes on the beautiful land we wolves lived on, but they could at least see replicas through my photos. I always kept the locations anonymous, so no one had a clue where a photo was taken, only an idea to the weather depending on what was in the photo. I always talked to an Alpha over the phone before even daring to show up on their land because it was still their home and I was the foreigner.

My work sold for quite a bit because of how steadily I could hold a camera while looking at beautiful scenery or animals, so I didn't have to worry about food or gas for my motorcycle. I didn't have to worry about paying for hotels or anything because I usually stayed on pack territory or chilled out in the woods as a wolf with my bike parked nearby.

Watching the side of the road, I turned onto a private driveway while having to slow down. The road was blocked by a gate and thick trees acted as a border the rest of the way around. Bringing my Kawasaki Ninja's engine to a low purr, I rolled up to the machine with a speaker and camera. If this was like other pack territories, the real pack land didn't start until a few more miles in so that there was an area of neutral territory to act as a buffer zone.

"I'm Mia Jones, here with the camera." I said into the speaker after pushing the button. Sitting up straight on my bike as I straddled it, I readjusted the leather gloves on my hands. 

"Show your face." A gruff voice replied and I rolled my eyes. Damn security measures....

"Prepare for major helmet hair." I popped off while reaching up and pulling my helmet off. I already knew my curls were like a frizzy semi-afro, the Irish in me never let me have a day of good hair, just okay or bat-shit ones. "Behold, it is I!" Dramatically waving a hand, I placed my helmet onto the bike while resting my other hand on it. "Bask in the glory of these glorious curls that are more glorious than Glory herself!"

"....You can come in." The man in the speaker hesitated before I heard a buzzer and the gate began to open.

"'Bout fuckin' time. Deuces, bitch!" I held up a peace sign while shoving my helmet back on. Before the guy could change his mind to close the gate, I zoomed on in while chuckling. Not long after, I came to another halt as I saw a werewolf squatting in the middle of the road with a dead deer at his feet. Great.... "Oi, hobo, scoot over!" I shouted since the sound of my engine hadn't interrupted the rogue's dinner.

Their head whipped around to look at me as their ears perked to attention. They showed their yellow and bloodstained fangs while growling at me, rising to their feet while trying to be intimidating. Their brown fur was dull in color and patchy as scars littered his body. His fur bristled to make himself seem larger, but I wasn't having that shit.

Pulling my helmet off, I flashed my wolf eyes while snarling, letting my rank be known as power oozed off of me. Before there could even be a real power play between the starving rogue and myself, a ball of white fur came hurtling out of the trees and tackled the other werewolf. Pursing my lips as I made a weird face, I just looked straight ahead now that the way was clear enough for me to get through. Hey, if the opportunity riseth, you taketh.

Not bothering to drive past the fighting rogues and the deer, I didn't want my engine bringing their attention to me as they were fighting over the animal carcass now. So, doing a weird waddle-like walk, I pushed my motorcycle past the dead animal in the middle of the road while holding my helmet in my hands and still making the weird face from before. See, this is why there was a buffer zone- to keep rogues and humans off of pack territory and separating them at the same time. The gate kept out the mostly hairless monkey's while the neutral area kept the rogues from taking down people and getting into pack lands. The road, however, was usually guarded, but I assumed they were slacking off....

Getting past the block, I was about to put my helmet back on to drive off, but a high pitched yelp caused me to flinch and look back. The white wolf had torn the scrawnier one to shreds, staining his snowy fur with blood. He dropped the dead wolf and turned to eat the deer, spotting me and freezing instead. My jaw went slack as my eyes widened and locked with his blood red orbs.

He transformed, and within seconds an albino man stood there, smirking devilishly as he licked his lips. He was completely naked, having a few scars here and there, and I slowly shook my head.

"Oh, no...." I mumbled, knowing all too well what that blood coated scent tickling my nose meant. Underneath the smell of coppery blood, the wolf smelt absolutely wonderful.

"Oh, yes." He purred, flexing his hands at his sides as if he was about to catch something. Nope, nuh-uh, nada, no!

"Oh, no!" I shouted, throwing on my helmet and revving up my engine. Leaving a black mark on the road with how fast I suddenly sped off, my mind was on a one way track of repeating the same thing over and over again. _'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-'_ Why? Well, simple, ladies and gentlemen. That damn rogue back there that had been victor of the road-kill dinner was my mate....


	2. Alpha Nico, Beta Ama

Parking my bike outside of the Alpha house, I carried my helmet under my arm as I knocked on the door. A woman that looked like an Amazonian answered it and looked down at me as I gave a two-fingered salute.

"Mia Jones, the photographer." I stated.

"Ama, the Beta." She replied, looking at me like I was an idiot.

"Pleasure to meet ya. So, where's Alpha Nico?" I asked while strutting into the house.

"Alpha Nico is out at the moment, you'll have to wait until he returns. Outside." She stated while dragging me back by the collar on my leather jacket.

"Lovely." Nodding, I glanced around. I was a bit on edge after seeing that albino rogue, so I was trying to distract myself from the fact that the Moon Goddess had paired me with that pale-ass motherfucker that literally killed a dude over a dead deer in the middle of the road. "Ama, my friend, since I have to wait, why not show me to some grub? I'm starving." I said while patting her beefy arm. She looked down at my hand before locking eyes with me and narrowing her gaze.

I knew she wanted me to take my hand off, but I wanted to see what kind of Beta she was. I'd heal if she decided to headbutt me or something, but I had a feeling her tough-guy (erm, gal?) vibe was mostly for show. If it was, you bet your ass I'd make her break before I left.

"This way." She simply growled while closing the door behind her. Her long, black hair was in a tight ponytail on the back of her head, and her muscular arms were practically on display in her tank top. Female wolves usually had a hard time building the muscle she had, so I bet she was going to show those puppies off whenever she could. "You'll be staying in the Alpha house as a guest while you're here, but mess up and you'll get with the Omegas."

"Oh, we could cuddle for warmth like a bunch of hamsters." I popped off while following the taller woman. Ama pinched the bridge of her nose and I smirked as she sighed. Fucking with people always got my mind off of stuff I didn't want to think about.

"Do you actually _want_ to stay with the Omegas?"

"Nah, they'd probably piss themselves. I chant Latin in a demonic voice when I sleep." Ama only pinched the bridge of her nose harder and clenched her jaw. "Wanna know something funny, though? I never learned Latin. Tried to get an exorcism done and the priest ended up inside-out while crawling all over the ceiling." That got her to stop walking as she slowly looked over her shoulder at me.

"....That didn't really happen, did it?"

"You tell me." I replied while looking at her with wide eyes and a serious face. She sort of paled before quickly turning back around and walking a little faster. "What, don't like scary stuff?"

"Look at me, what is there to be scared of? They're just stories." Ama stated and I got a weird smile on my face like a cat. I'd probably have a self-debate over whether or not I should try to scare Ama....

After the Amazonian looking woman dropped me off at the kitchen, I was sat down at the table as food was set down in front of me. I hadn't eaten in a day or two due to traveling, so I was practically inhaling everything they sat in front of me. Stuffing my cheeks as I wolfed down the turkey meat and mashed potatoes with bacon bits, I would occasionally glance to my backpack on the floor next to me to make sure it was still there. My camera was expensive, but the contents of the memory card in it was worth more since there were photos yet to be printed off in there.

"Ah, you must be Mia! It's a pleasure to have you on our pack lands." An older male stood next to the table, his hands held behind his back as he looked down at me. Swallowing the chunks of ham in my mouth, I gave him a serious look.

"Thank you, Alpha Nico. It's an honor to be here." I nodded my head to him.

"I've heard your reputation isn't matched by your work." He commented while taking a seat next to me, crossing his legs as he rested his hands in his lap. "I'm willing to deal with the certain....quirks....I've heard you possess so long as you do your job."

"Take....photos?" I raised a brow at him.

"Exactly." He smiled while nodding. "My pride lies within my pack, and our territory is an extension of that as it is our home. Your work shows the beauty in our lands that others could only ever dream of seeing, and that sort of connects us to the outside world when people see your photos. They get to see a piece of our home and the wonders within it."

"Don't worry, though, I won't take pictures of any of the pack members. It's strictly scenery and wildlife."

"I'd hope." He chuckled. "You'd be exposing your own kind if you caught a patrol in the background.

"True." I agreed, leaning back in my chair while lacing my fingers together on the table. "But since we're on the talk of the pack, you may want to up your patrols on the road."

"Why is that?" His smile fell as his expression turned rather serious.

"I encountered two rogues on my way in." I stated. "They were fighting over a deer, but they were right in the middle of the road." Alpha Nico's jaw clenched.

"I'll talk to them later, see what happened." The man nodded. "And you were unharmed?"

"They were more occupied by dinner and each other than a tiny woman on a motorcycle."

"Well, it's good that you remained safe." He said. "After you've finished eating, you're free to roam with your camera. Just stay within bounds or you'll find yourself in rogue territory. The pack has already been spoken to about your presence here, so no one will interfere with your work or attack you." Alpha Nico explained. "You'll also be sleeping in a guest bedroom in my house, and you may come and go as you please."

"It's like a weekend at Granny's." I mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, sorry. Nothing." I smiled while waving a hand.

"....All right, then. Well, I'll be off now. I'll speak between shifts to those doing patrol about our little problem." He nodded while rising to his feet. Giving me one last look, he then left as I slouched in my chair. Sighing with relief, I never really like being in the presence of Alphas. I had to mind my manners around those temperamental twats or, er, never mind. Not all of them were twats. (But a lot were, like geez, get a grip on the hormones already.)

When I was done filling my stomach, I dug out my camera and tossed my backpack onto my shoulder while going outside. My bike was still at the Alpha house, so I wouldn't have to worry about that getting messed with. Heading to the edge of the forest, I began to snap pictures of whatever caught my eye. I'd go through the photos later to determine which ones would be sent to a gallery or be deleted.


	3. Babbling Brook

Raising my camera to aim it at a blue jay, a small smile tugged at my lips. The Eagle Arrow lands were quite the wonder with their variety of plants and wildlife, but something was just missing. It was nagging at the back of my head, and I knew it wasn't the scenery's fault. I mean, the photos were nice, but I felt as if I was missing something myself.

Raising my nose to the air as my brows furrowed, I deeply inhaled. Ah, that's what I was missing. I could smell deer, and they were pretty close by at that. Walking with scent as my guide, I snuck up on the dear as they were grazing and walking around. Raising my camera, I made sure the flash was off before I took a photo when the largest buck rose his head high over the others. Getting a few more pictures of them, I slowly backed away so that I wouldn't scare them off.

Using my senses, I managed to find so many things to take a picture of and the forest was absolutely beautiful. Everything was so vibrant and alive, birds calling in the trees above, insects chirping all around me, and I even heard a brook. Tilting my head from one side to the other, my ears listened to lead me to the source of water.

Upon finding it, I softly smiled and crouched by the brook to take a quick drink. The water smelt clean, and we wolves had quite a metabolism, so it was highly unlikely I'd get sick from drinking from the brook. Seeing some colorful pebbles under the water, I grabbed my camera and snapped a shot. Raising my eyes, I stood up and took a few steps back while holding up my camera. Focusing the lens on the scene of the babbling brook, I pushed the button and checked the photo I took on the small digital screen on the camera.

My soft smile fell into a deep frown, seeing a man caught between the trees, looking right at the camera. Quickly looking up, I saw nothing there and turned back to my camera. He was like a ghost with the stark contrast of his pale skin and hair in the darker forest around him. Those red eyes were like rubies and his expression was of total calm, and if I was honest with myself, the photo was perfectly exquisite with him in it.

My finger hovered over the button to delete it, seeing the little symbol of a trashcan on it as I bit my lip. The artist in me was screaming for me to keep it, the photo was one of my best ever, but the albino man in it had my nerves on edge. I had no clue how he got in the picture, but he was gone now after I had checked. Tapping my finger on the side of my camera, I rolled my eyes while sighing.

I couldn't delete it.

Raising the camera again to repeat the photo without the man there instead, I checked the photo to be sure he didn't magically appear again. I exhaled with relief since he hadn't appeared, but I froze a second later when his scent hit me like a brick wall.

"Been lookin' for ya." His voice purred as he stood right in front of me now. Not daring to look up from my camera, I tried to ignore his presence in the hopes he would vanish like a ghost. _'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!'_ My mind was screaming as I could see his toned chest in the edge of my vision that wasn't taken up by the camera I was holding rather closely to my face.

"Damn, you're gorgeous." He breathed before lifting my face by my chin. His was biting his bottom lip, looking at me with sultry eyes and I was completely enraptured by his face as his touch made my skin tingle. He was clean of the blood now, but I could smell it on him as he stepped closer, my camera being the only thing between his chest and my own. "Aren't I a lucky bastard?" His voice was so low while he spoke, as if he would startle me like a deer if he used a normal tone.

His blood red eyes caught my gaze and I felt like I was in a trance while looking into them. Fuck, his scent was getting to me! I had to get out of there, but I had no idea what to do because of those full lips and that jawline screwing with my head. He had adequate cheekbones as well, and his wild hair went to his shoulders like a mane. Gulping, my wolf was howling in my head and pacing within her cage, wanting to be let out to see her mate.

I was thankfully broken from my trance-like state when he was leaning his head down and I shoved him back.

"Nope!" I quickly said, my voice clear before I turned on my heel and ran. I heard him growl viciously as he got to his feet, giving chase while I darted through the trees. Making sure not to lose my camera, I jumped over a bush and ran in the direction I was hoping was the clearing where the pack houses were. Due to my short stature, I was able to maneuver quite easily, but the rogue knew these woods much better than I did and was only a yard or two behind me. However, he fell back as I neared the pack and roared angrily at my denial of him.

No way was I going to accept a rogue was my mate, that was insane. I behaved, to a degree, when I was a pup and I ate all the food on my plate, I minded my manners when I had to, I cleaned up after myself, and I did what I was supposed to. So why? Why had the Moon Goddess paired me with such a man?

Hell, I would have preferred even an Omega over a rogue any day, but that's what I got? If past lives were a thing, then I must have fucked mine up pretty badly.... 

My wolf had other ideas, however, since she was growling at me for running and wanted to go back. Having to reason with my basic, animal instincts was rather tiresome, but he was a rogue and that was a danger in itself. On top of that, he was rather healthy looking for a packless wolf and that only meant one thing in a world like ours- he was a stone cold killer, a true hunter, a feral with little to no regards for others. The other rogue had been scrawny for a reason, he was was weaker than the others that no doubt stole food from him, but that albino man had been broad and muscled like an Alpha, so he had to be near the top of the food chain out here.

Honestly, I had never seen a rogue his size since most were fighting off starvation or others of their own kind.

Breaking through the treeline, I sighed with relief while seeing the large clearing full of houses and buildings. Clearing my throat, I fixed my clothes and rolled my shoulders as I but on a calm facade. Strutting up to the Alpha house, I went inside and plopped down on a couch in the living room to go through my photos. Acting as if nothing had happened, no one that saw me there was able to pick up on what had occurred earlier in the forest.

I also didn't want anyone to know. I didn't want anyone to know that I was fated to be with a rogue, but I couldn't just sever that bond, could I?


	4. Human Territory

For the rest of my time within the Eagle Arrow Pack, I racked up quite a number of photos, but I didn't see the rogue again since I stuck closer to where the patrols were or the other pack members. I decided to not scare Beta Ama and left her alone, but I did annoy other wolves whenever that man's face popped up in my head so that I could get my mind off of it.

My parents had died when I was young in an accident, so I wouldn't ever have to explain to them how I found my mate but didn't want him. My adoptive parents, however....they were alive and kicking and I'd have to talk to them about it someday. Until then, I'd just keep it to myself.

Mounting my Kawasaki Ninja, I fixed the leather gloves on my hands and zipped up my jacket. I'd be heading to human territory to print off my photos and send them to the galleries I worked with, so I had made sure none of my pictures had incriminating evidence of our kind in them the night before.

"It was a pleasure to have you here, Mia." Alpha Nico was saying as I putting on my helmet. "I hope to see you again in the future."

"I do as well, Alpha Nico." I replied. "Your pack is very hospitable and you're very kind." I said, but I was secretly trying to get away from their territory as fast as I could and I was probably never going to come back.

"Thank you." The older man nodded before I turned the key in the ignition and backed away from his house. Waving one last time to the Alpha, I then sped off to the road that lead to the gate to get out of this place. Everything was going smoothly in my getaway since I didn't see any rogues on the road out and the gate was already opened for me so I didn't have to really slow down until I had to turn the corner.

Revving my engine, I propelled forward even faster down the open road towards the nearest city. It would take a few hours to get there, but it didn't matter to me much since I was used to driving so much between packs. When I arrived at the city, it was a little late in the day and my stomach was growling, so I stopped by at some diner.

Pocketing my keys as I swung my leg over my bike in the parking lot, I stuffed my hands into my jacket pockets and went into the diner. I could smell all of the humans seated at the tables and the food being cooked. I could hear their chattering and I looked for a spot to sit down. Taking a seat at a booth by a window, I reached up and took off my helmet, setting it down next to me.

A waitress in a uniform and apron walked over, pulling out a menu and handing it to me as she pulled out a pen and pad. She was chewing bubblegum, blowing a bubble before it popped and her jaws smacked.

"What can I get ya to drink?" She asked with disinterest while looking at me. Her dark brown hair was in a messy bun while her chocolate eyes were barely focused on me.

"Water." I replied while opening up the menu. Picking the first thing with meat, I looked back up at her. "And a cheeseburger without pickles and mustard."

"Single or double?"

"Double." I stated, handing the menu back to her. She popped another bubble while sticking the small menu into a pocket on her apron.

"Be back in a few minutes." The brunette said while walking away. The double cheeseburger came with two patties and a shit ton of fries, so it would do for now in feeding my stomach. The woman kept blowing bubbles with her gum before they exploded, and I found it irritating, but mostly ignored it as I stuffed my face. Quite a few of the people in the diner reeked of body odor while others stunk of perfume, but some of them only stank to me because of the sensitivity of my nose.

After eating, I left the money on the table under my empty cup, and hopped back onto my bike to find a place to rest for the night. I'd print off my photos and mail them tomorrow when I had more time. I didn't usually get a hotel room, but I did for tonight so that I wouldn't be bothered by the cops if I was caught sleeping on a bench or something.

Using a key to get into the room, I set my bag onto the little table and dug out my camera. Kicking off my shoes, I plopped down on the bed and turned the device on. The bed at least smelled clean even if the guy in the office hadn't, so there was a plus. Going back to that picture that had the rogue in it, I just looked at it. The photo was beautiful with his unearthly appearance in such a scene, but my mind still battled with the fact that the albino man was without a pack.

I knew the danger any rogue possessed, as did any other wolf, and that was why I had to get away. Much like a rose, beneath his beauty he no doubt had thorns that would prick at anything that came close to him. Biting my cheek as I looked at the picture, my thumb once again hovered over the delete button, but like any other time I tried to rid myself of the photo, I just couldn't bring myself to do so. If I couldn't really have my mate, then I could at least keep a picture of him. You couldn't tell what he was or who he was as a person with the way his face was holding that calm expression, so I daydreamed of a life where he wasn't packless and I hadn't met him when he killed another for their dinner.

Sighing through my nose, I set the camera down on the bed next to me and rubbed my face with my hands while groaning. This was just the shittiest thing. The Moon Goddess _had_ to have made some sort of mistake....that or she just wanted to see me suffer. Getting up, I dug in my backpack for a change of clothes and went to shower.

~

Shooting up out of bed as I heard a loud crash, my eyes widened as I looked to the window. Tangled up with the curtains and fallen over table was a man with one foot stuck in the window. He was grumbling curses and I shot out of bed, snarling while grabbing the back of the hood he was wearing. Yanking him off of the floor and pushing him against the wall, I balled my hands into the dark grey fabric while growling.

"The _fuck_ do you think you're doing?" I said coldly as my voice was dripping with venom. If it was a thief, I'd probably break his arm before kicking him out. If he was a murderer or something, I'd break both of his legs and toss him back out the window.

"Ooh, feisty~!" The man purred while pushing the hood off of his head as he wrapped an arm around my lower back. Pulling me towards him, I went wide eyed at the toothy grin he was giving me as I locked my eyes with his blood red orbs. _'You have got to be shitting me....'_ I thought. "You know how hard it was to track you? Damn motorcycle...." He added the last part under his breath.

"What- Why-?" I was trying to formulate the words from the jumbling questions in my head, but all I could manage was a look of confusion. I had left the rogue back in Eagle Arrow lands....but here he was in human territory....

"Fuck, you smell good." He said while dropping his head closer to the side of my neck. "What's your name?" His voice was low as he nudged my jaw with his nose, smelling me as he held my body close to his.

"Get off me!" I pushed him back as soon as I managed to realize how close the rogue was to me. He hit the wall with a thud as I backed away. "What the Hell are you doing here?" Pointing at him, I knew the clothes he wore were stolen since they reeked of a human, and that was probably why I hadn't caught his scent properly.

"I'm here for what's mine, angel." He smirked while running his tongue over his sharp teeth. "We rogues don't usually get mates, you know, so I'm not letting you get away that easily."

"Piss off!" I snarled, trying to stay focused as his scent tickling my nose.

"Mm, I'll pass." He hummed while leaning off of the wall and stepping towards me. The hoodie he wore was tight over his chest while the sweatpants were entirely baggy, and from the human scent on them, he stole them off of a late-night jogger. _'What a gentleman.' _I sarcastically thought as his bare feet silently stepped on the floor. "From that look on your face, I'm not gonna have you running into my arms any time soon, am I?" He quirked up an eyebrow and I growled lowly as a reply. "That's fine. I've got ways to break you, angel."

"Don't call me that." I snarled while stepping back when he got within a few feet of me.

"I'll call you whatever, you're mine now." He sadistically smirked. "Can't you feel that pull in your gut? Your instincts are screaming for me, angel, and I'm right here. Just give in to it." The albino man placed a pale hand on his stomach before hungrily licking his lips and giving me a predatorial look.

"Like I'd ever give in to a filthy rogue like you." I bared my fangs at him and he glared, his lip twitching up into a snarl.

"You even fucking try to sever our bond and I'll pin you down and mark you whether you fucking like it or not." His voice held no hesitation and his heartbeat was steady, signs that he wasn't lying. "I'll cover your body with my bite to where no other damned wolf would even look at you."

"Mark me and I'll tear you to fucking shreds."

"Try it, angel, you're just a pint-sized wolf. I could take you right now and you wouldn't be able to stop me. I'm not going to though, I want you begging." He grinned with a dark look in his eyes.

"I said to stop calling me that!" My hands balled into fists at my sides. "I'm not going to mate with a filthy, rogue bastard, so you might as well get the fuck out." Pointing to the window, I was still viciously glaring. "Go out the damned way you came, and I never want to see you again, you rotten mutt."

He let out a low growl before jumping at me, tackling me to the floor as he pinned me down. The albino man changed his hold to where both of my wrists were held together over my head and he looked down at me.

"You better watch that pretty mouth of yours before I bite it off." He snarled, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him as I bared my fangs at him. God, it was so hard to focus on getting him out with how good he smelt and how his skin against mine caused a strange tingling sensation. "You can't deny what you're feeling, angel, because I'm feelin' it, too. Your testing my fucking patience with your snobby, bitchy attitude and all I want to do is rip your clothes off and just fuck you." His angry expression faltered as his eyes drifted down to my lips. "God, I want to see those perfect lips wrapped around my co- Oh!" He was cut off by a groan when I kneed him in the balls.

He flew off of me, howling in pain as he hit the ground and held his crotch. Snatching up my backpack and keys, I ran out of the room. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as I ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. My face felt like it was burning, uncontrollably imagining everything he was suggesting. God, would I give in if he wasn't a rogue.

The man was fine as Hell with a voice that was like a spell, but he was just too much of a risk. Rogues were too feral after leaving or being kicked out of their packs, and trouble always followed them like a plague. I didn't need that kind of shit in my life, things were going perfect for me until this and it was pissing me off.

Jumping onto my bike, I hauled ass out of there and rode all night through the city, spreading my scent around to make it harder for him to track me.


	5. Leaked Photo

"All of them?" The guy behind the counter asked while holding my camera.

"Yup." I nodded, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

"It'll take about thirty minutes." He replied before writing on a tag. "What name should I put on the order?"

"Mia Jones." I replied, watching as he scribbled down my name. Peeling the sticker tag off of the sheet, he pressed it onto an envelope and took the SD card out of the camera. Sliding the small, plastic thing into the envelope, he handed back my camera before going into the back to hand off the stuff to someone else to print. Sighing, I picked up my camera and took a seat along the wall. This place took photos as well as print them, so there was a family seated across from me, waiting for their photographer to call them back.

There was a married couple with two children, all dressed in their Sunday best, and the kids had quite an age gap. One was playing on a DS while the other was making spit bubbles and babbling gibberish. Looking away from them, I looked out of the wall of windows to the busy street outside. Humans were walking to and fro, tending to their lives without a clue that there were other beasts among them.

The family went back for their pictures a few minutes after I sat down, and I waited a good while before my name was called and the guy at the counter was holding a thick envelope full of the photographs I had taken. Standing up, I went to the counter while grabbing my wallet from my pocket.

"Yo, these are wicked good, you know." He commented, scanning the barcode on the envelope. "Are you a professional?"

"Yes, actually." I smirked, handing him my card to pay for the pictures. When he handed it back, I put it away in my wallet and put the envelope with my name on it into my backpack. "Thanks." I waved over my shoulder before leaving. Afterwards, I found the post office after getting lost a few times and asked for a few envelopes. Dividing up my pictures into certain stacks, I put each one into a manila envelope with a stamp that said fragile so that my photos wouldn't get ruined on the way to the galleries.

I didn't send all of my pictures to the same people because some of them liked certain styles of photography more than others. The gallery in France, for example, preferred my pictures of colorful things like flowers and butterflies and birds while the one in New York liked the foxes and other wildlife more. The final two galleries I sent to took my landscape pictures, loving the scenes of the forests and waterfalls or whatever happened to be on certain pack lands.

So, all in all, there was the gallery in France, New York, London, and the last one was in Los Angeles. I couldn't remember their names, just the people I sent the photos to, and that was good enough since they got them through the mail. They'd pay me for the ones that went on display and a percentage from the ones that were put up for sale. Because they were my pictures, I got the majority percentage of the money that came in from their sales, but they were still able to make a profit off of my work, so it was okay with them.

Licking the envelopes to close them, I cringed at the bad taste in my mouth before giving them to the mailman to but a stamp on them and ship them out. Paying for that, I was then finally able to leave the city and hit the road again. This time, for sure, that rogue was left in my dust since I drove nonstop through the rest of the day and night until the next morning when I stopped for breakfast.

Just wandering around the countryside from gas station to gas station, I waited about a week before going to an actual town that had signal for a cellphone. So there I was, sitting at a booth in a cafe while seeing a missed call and a few messages. Checking the messages first, I saw it was just some of my pack checking up on me. Answering my parents first, I told them how I was doing fine and how Alpha Nico from the Eagle Arrow Pack was a nice man, but I left out everything about the albino man that I had encountered. Telling the others basically the same thing, I then checked the missed call.

It was from one of the galleries, and my brow rose as I was about to call them back to see what they needed. However, before I could, my phone vibrated and it was them calling again. What timing, am I right?

"Hello?" I answered, fiddling with the spoon in my coffee.

"Mia, perfect. Look, I know you don't usually use models, but that photo you sent me was just absolutely gorgeous. Could you send me more like it?" The woman on the other end said and my brows furrowed with confusion. "I mean, I hung it in my office instead of selling it off and that's got to tell you something." Her voice was very business-like, so I knew she wasn't kidding, but I had no idea what she was talking about....

"What are you talking about?" I questioned while lifting the little spoon out of my mug and I dumped more sugar into the hot liquid.

"You know, the one with that albino man? I tried looking him up, but I can't seem to find him anywhere. Was he a local model?" Paling as I was stirring the cavity inducing coffee, I dropped the spoon and jerked my bag over to me. Nearly tearing off the zipper, I dug through my bag for the picture of the rogue, but all I found was my clothes, camera, and a few other miscellaneous items. Fuck. "Mia?"

"U-uh, no. I just happened to see him on the street." I quickly lied while banging my fist against my forehead. Like a dunce, I had accidentally sent the photo of the rogue to Nina along with the scenery pictures I was sending her. _'God fucking dammit, Mia! You stupid, stupid idiot!'_ "And you said you didn't sell the photo?"

"Of course not, I loved it too much. But I honestly would love to see more of him in your work. There aren't that many albino models, and he was like the cherry on a sundae in that forest." I pinched the bridge of my nose as I listened to her. "He just seemed to fit so naturally in the scene and the color contrast was exquisite."

"I....I see." How in the Hell was I supposed to get out of this now?

"Is something wrong?"

"I've already left that town, Nina."

"Well, go back. I'll pay extra if I have to, but that man needs a modeling career and you're the perfect gateway." She stated and I could hear some papers shuffling on her end. "I expect him in more of your photos in the next batch you send me. I'll actually display them, and trust me, he'll bring you a pretty penny." Covering the speaker on the phone, I hit my head against the table with a loud thud and groaned in frustration. I was glad I took a seat in the back because I would no doubt be getting weird looks from the others in the cafe if I hadn't.

"Nina-"

"No back talking." She cut me off. "I'll transfer the money into your account if you have to pay for him to pose, but I know a goldmine when I see one. I'm making this investment in the benefit of both you and I."

"Why do you have to be so human?" I mumbled, but she heard me.

"Because, Mia, I was born into the_ Homo sapien_ species. Now, pick up your camera and go find him. Love you, darling." I heard the smirk in her voice before she hung up. Groaning again, I slouched in the booth and mentally shouted at myself for being so careless. Nina happened to be the gallery in Los Angeles, so that rogue's face would become rather well known if I did as she asked. Knowing Nina, though, she wouldn't take no for an answer and she did give me a paycheck....

Rubbing my temples, I sipped from my coffee and could hardly believe this was happening. It wasn't uncommon for wolves to get jobs higher up in society, humans just had a natural attraction towards us since the primal part of their brains recognized what we were, but they were too dull to understand what their instincts were telling them. However, rogues were nothing more than twisted wolves skulking in the shadows, feeding off of the weaker animals in their territory and fighting other rogues while trying to survive. Rogues were definitely _not _what Nina was wanting....

~

I doubted that the albino man was still hunting me after so long, but I holed up in a patch of woods behind a farm in case he was to let him catch up. I'd stay there for a few days, but if nothing happened, then I'd have to go and find a way to track him. It disgusted me how I was doing this, but Nina got what she wanted from people or she used her influence to get it if the traditional means failed.

It wasn't like she was in the mafia or anything, but she was a major player in the art scene on this side of the world. Photography was my life and it was how I remained so free, but she could cut that off and I'd only have the galleries in France and London which were more expensive to mail to and they only took about half of my photos.

Marking the territory I was residing in, it kept out pesky animals and would alert the rogue to my presence there if he happened to find me. However, this would only work if he was still chasing me, and that meant he was tracking me over hundreds of miles just to get to me....


	6. Cleanup

Waking up one morning with a start, my hand automatically shot out, wrapping around the throat of the thing hovering over me. I growled out of reflex, but didn't release my hold even after seeing the man baring his teeth at me.

"You really know how to piss people off, don't you?" He snarled, and I managed to completely mask my shock at seeing the albino man here.

"You really don't know how to take no for an answer, do you?" I popped off as he reached for my wrist. My palm vibrated when he talked, and his skin was warm against my own as I held his throat.

"I told you I wasn't going to let you get away that easily, angel." He replied while pulling my hand off of him. I just let him since I wasn't in the mood to actually rip his throat out. Laying on the ground still as he hovered over me, his eyes narrowed as he slightly glared. "And I'm not a fucking idiot. I didn't just catch up to you on my own, you've been here a while. What are you waiting for?"

"You." I replied bluntly, watching his expression change as a smirk pulled at the corners of his lips.

"Mm, so you're finally ready for me, huh?" He licked his lips like a beast would its maws. His fingers wrapped around my wrist loosened as he slowly felt up my arm. "Finally ready to accept me?"

"No." My voice was firm as I jerked my hand away. "I've made a mistake and you have to help me."

"What?" His pale eyebrows furrowed together and I watched as his red eyes stared down at me. His long hair cascaded over his shoulders while some was stuck behind his ear and he looked so ethereal with the way the sunlight hit him.

"In the forest, back at Eagle Arrow, I accidentally took your picture. I'm a photographer and I fucked up and accidentally sent it to a gallery with some other photos. The directer saw it and she wants you to be my model." I explained before smacking a hand onto my face. "So I'm willing to put up with you to get my paycheck. The director will even pay you for posing if she has to, but if it's money you want, then I'll probably cover it to save her the bother."

He was actually quiet, and I peeked through my fingers to look up at him. His face was rather blank, and I assumed that was the expression he made when he was thinking or processing information. Then, a huge grin broke out on his face while his eyes were half-opened.

"Ask me nicely, angel, and I'll do it."

"What?"

"Ask me nicely, and I'll do _anything_ for you." His voice lowered while his gaze did as well. "And I do mean _anything_."

"Hold on, cowboy, I just need the posing for pictures, that's _all_." I glared.

"Then do it."

"...." Just looking at him, he raised his brows, waiting for me to do it. Rolling my eyes while huffing, I rubbed my temples. "Would you *please* pose for me?" I asked, nearly vomiting when I said 'please' to the man.

"Of course, angel." He was nearly purring while leaning his head down.

"You damn rogue." I grumbled, making him freeze before he growled and stood up.

"Will you stop fucking doing that?! God, do you realize how fucking annoying that is?!" He nearly shouted while throwing his hands up into the air and turning on his heel. Sitting up in the grass, I crossed my arms while glaring at him.

"What?"

"Mentioning how I'm a rogue and calling me filthy or damned! It's so god damn annoying!" He growled while running a hand through his hair. My glare deepened because the action he did caused my heart to flutter. _'Fuck you, Moon Goddess. This bond isn't gonna dictate my life.'_ I thought bitterly, but then quickly added silent apologies for saying 'fuck you'.

"Why should I stop? That's what you are." And his red eyes snapped back to me. "You kill for pleasure rather than need, you're feral, and the list goes on and on. That's what rogues are, and that's what you are."

"I'd kill anyone else if they had said that to me." He snarled.

"So even rogues have mercy? Who would have known." I popped off. Rising to my feet, I dusted myself off and noticed how he was still wearing the clothes he had stolen off of that human and I sighed. "Before anything else, though, you're going to need actual clothes. We'll be spending quite a bit of time in human territory, so you should at least get some shoes as well."

"Way to change the subject." He said bitterly. Picking up my backpack, I looked right at him.

"I'd rather change the subject than continue to argue with a dickhead like you." My comment made him growl, but he said nothing else. Only having my motorcycle as a means of real transportation, the larger male had to ride behind me and how close he had to be made me go on edge. Not to mention that I had to keep smacking his hands every time he tried to grab my boobs as I was driving to town.

Managing to find a department store, I walked ahead of the rogue to the section that had men's clothing and waved my hand towards the racks.

"Find you something. There's changing rooms under that giant sign." I then pointed. The albino man gave me a look before strolling over to the clothes and began to browse. Sighing through my nose, I just stood by to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't get into a fight with someone here.

Glancing around every now and then, I waited for the rogue to grab some clothes and go to the changing rooms to try them on. When the door locked behind him, I took a few steps away.

"I'm going to go find you a bag and a helmet, stay here until I get back." I told him before leaving. It shouldn't take me long to find a simple backpack and a helmet, so I assumed he'd be fine on his own while I was gone.

What I didn't expect, however, was him to have somehow gotten a free haircut while waiting on me. I nearly dropped the helmet and bag I was carrying for him upon seeing the man without the scruff on his face and his messy lion's mane turned into a shorter cut that was styled somewhat messy like natural bedhead. Fuck, did the stylist make it work for him, he was gorgeous.

"Close your mouth, angel, you don't want to catch anything." He smirked while rubbing his chin that was now hairless. Shooting him a dirty look, I quickly turned on my heel.

"Just come on so we can check out." I grumbled, feeling like my ears were burning. My heart fluttered again while hearing him lightly chuckle from behind me, and I glared at myself.

After buying everything for the rogue, I stuffed it all into the backpack after tearing the tags off and freeing them of their packaging. Buying a room at a hotel for the night, I made him shower and brush his teeth thoroughly before he was even allowed anywhere else. When he came out of the bathroom, he was running his tongue over his teeth quite a bit, not really used to the minty taste in his mouth after living naked in the wild as a wolf for God knows how long.

Taking my shower as he sniffed out the room, he was passed out on his bed by the time I got out. He was sprawled out like a pup and snoring, and I softly sighed through my nose. Seeing him like that, it was as if he wasn't the dangerous man I knew him to be. He just looked so peaceful and ridiculous as drool was trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Shaking my head, I went to the other bed and crawled underneath the blankets. The albino man hadn't even bothered with his, just laying on top of the bed with one of his arms hanging off of the edge. Looking over my shoulder at him, all I saw was his back to me and I couldn't help but wonder why this was the man the Moon Goddess had chosen for me....


	7. New Location

Feeling hot breath hitting the top of my head as I was coming to, my eyes popped open as I was immediately awake. I could feel another, larger body pressed against my back as an arm was draped over my side and I could hear soft snoring. Taking in a deep breath as I clenched my jaw, I balled my hands into fists before kicking the man off of the bed behind me.

He shouted with surprise before hitting the ground, and a deep growl soon followed while I sat up.

"What the fuck?" He snarled, his head popping up over the side of the bed.

"Don't think that because I'm tolerating you that we can cuddle. I don't even know your name." I said flatly while getting out of bed on the side opposite of him.

"Aiden."

"What?"

"My name's Aiden." He replied while making a grumpy face as he got off of the floor. Looking at him for a second, I bit the inside of my cheek._ 'Should I?'_

"Mia." I stated before turning on my heel and going to the bathroom. When I came back out, he was sat at the small table with his feet crossed and propped on the table while his hands where behind his head. He smirked when he saw me stepping out of the bathroom and I raised a brow at him.

"Mia." He said my name lowly, almost sounding like a purr, and a shiver ran down my spine. The rogue noticed it and chuckled. "You know, there's quite the power in a name between mates. Isn't there, Mia?" There was another shiver and I growled at him.

"Stop it."

"Why, Mia~?" He purred while smirking and I grabbed the nearest thing and threw it at him. He nearly fell out of the chair from how fast he had to react to catch the remote soaring at him. I wished he would have fallen, but he didn't and caught the remote while growling.

"I'm not fucking around, I said stop." Flashing my teeth at him, I picked up my backpack and pulled out a change of clothes for the day.

"Oh, why don't you try it yourself, angel? It's fun."

"I'll pass. You probably just want to hear me say your name."

"I'd prefer you screaming it, but that'll have to wait." I shot him a glare while he was licking his lips. Rolling my eyes, I went back to the bathroom to change, slamming the door closed behind me. Grumbling curses under my breath as I got dressed, I then bared my teeth at the mirror as I brushed them and kept cursing Nina in my head for making me do this.

"I need you to stay quiet, I have to make a phone call." I told the albino man tying his shoes as I went to my backpack. Pulling out my phone while I stuffed my sleeping clothes back in, I then grabbed a map and fanned it out over the bed. Looking for where we were, I glanced around the surrounding area to find the nearest pack territory. There was one a bit to the west, and I ran my finger over the lines making the roads to find the fastest way to get there. After doing that, I dialed the number scribbled on the map over the marked out territory.

Waiting as I heard the ringing in my ear, I looked over the map. Before leaving home, I had mapped out all the pack territories that my Alpha knew and got the numbers for each pack's Alpha. Whenever I visited back home, I'd always update the map to make sure the information was accurate enough for me to find the territories.

"Hello?"

"Yes, this is Mia Jones of the Crescent Moon Pack, is this the Alpha of the Sparrow Wing Pack?" I questioned while still looking at the map. Focusing on the territory I was planning on visiting, I saw a lake within their lands and they had quite a number of acres within their borders. Plenty of space for me to photograph.

"This is he." There was a small hint of confusion in his voice.

"Perfect, I was calling to arrange a way of me staying with your pack temporarily. I'm a photographer, and I go around photographing pack territories. You may or may not have heard of me from other Alphas, but I saw that your territory is near here and was wondering if you'd mind me popping by." I said, keeping my voice as professional sounding as possible.

"Oh, you're George's kid, aren't you?" The Alpha questioned. "I've seen some of your work, you're good."

"Yes, and thank you, sir." I replied, a bit surprised that he knew my dad.

"Well, I've got a few days before I have to leave for a meeting. You can stay until then, but you'll have to leave before I'm gone."

"I understand." I nodded, folding up the map and sticking it into my backpack.

"I'll arrange a room for you to stay in, when do you plan on arriving?"

"Tomorrow morning. But, um, could you prepare two rooms?" I glanced at the albino man out the corner of my eye. "I'll have another wolf with me for work."

"Of course, that won't be a problem." The Alpha replied. "They'll just have to be with you when you arrive and leave, though."

"Certainly." I zipped up the bag while tossing it onto my shoulder. "Thank you for this opportunity, sir."

"You're welcome, and I'll see you then." And that was the end of the conversation as I pocketed my phone. I didn't mention how my plus one was a rogue because I knew he'd turn me down on the phone as soon as I did. On the pack lands, however, I could talk to him face to face about the albino man.

"Come on, we're going to get breakfast before heading out." I gestured for the man to get up while grabbing my helmet and keys. He got to his feet and followed me out the door with his things. Stopping by the hotel office to give them back their key, I then mounted my bike and pulled my helmet on. When the rogue hopped on behind me, I lowly growled, feeling how his thighs where flush against the outside of mine. I hated riding with him, but it's not like he could just run beside me like a dog, we were going through human territory and we had to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Turning the key in the bike, it roared to life while I pushed the kickstand up with the back of my heel. Backing out of the parking space, I was about to leave the lot, but paused when the rogue spoke up.

"Not that I'm really complaining, but why do I have to be back here like the bitch?" Letting my head hang from my shoulder as I sighed, I assumed he wasn't 'really complaining' because his crotch was right against my ass.

"Do you know how to drive a motorcycle?" I asked.

"No."

"Then there's your answer." I replied and I felt his hands on my hips as I drove off. My mind was like a battle field every time I drove with him behind me because I liked how close his body was to mine while not liking it at the same time. Not to mention, his scent would get on me with how he held on to me so he wouldn't fall off the bike. I had to grit my teeth to not just turn around and punch the rogue off....


	8. Sparrow Wing Pack

Much like the Eagle Arrow Pack, the Sparrow Wings had a speaker and camera just outside of a gate. However, this one had a keypad on it as well. Straddling the bike as I reached over and pushed the button to call the people running the gate, I heard a buzzing before the speaker clicked.

"Who are you?" A man asked with a not-so-polite tone. Pulling my helmet off, I held up my hand like I was holding a skull and reciting Shakespeare.

"'Tis I." I replied based off of habit.

"Yeah, gonna need to clarify that, Brave."

"Mia Jones. Was that a Disney reference there, big guy?" I asked while pointing at the camera.

"I've got pups." He stated as if that was an excuse for knowing a kid's movie. "Just come in." There was another buzz after he sighed and the gate opened. Riding past it after waving, I glanced to both sides of the road to check for rogues.

"So you don't bite everyone's throats out? Good to know it's just me." The man behind me sarcastically said. Pushing him back with my shoulder to get some space, I ignored him while driving. The paved street faded into a worn, dirt road and I avoided the larger dips in the ground to keep from popping a tire or some other accident.

Arriving to the pack lands after getting through the buffer zone, I swung my leg over the bike to get off, kicking the rogue at the same time and making him fly off the back. Taking off my helmet while chuckling, he was just laying on the ground while growling and looking like a turtle because of his backpack. Tucking my helmet under my arm, I stuffed my keys into my pocket and looked over my shoulder to see the other wolves walking around.

They were looking at us with interest and curiosity while the man on the ground was still growling lowly as he jumped to his feet. As soon as he took off his helmet, however, the others in the area gasped and one wolf even pulled her children closer to her while backing away.

"You think you're so funny, don't you?" The albino man snarled at me, but I held up a hand to get him to stop. They could smell his rogue scent and he was more than likely the first albino wolf they had ever seen with how rare it was. Albinism was a genetic deformity that caused the lack of much pigmentation and werewolves were rarely ever born with any genetic problems due to our evolution. Not to mention, most albino creatures had blue eyes rather than red, but he had the blood colored eyes as well.

"What is the meaning of this?" A man broke out from the crowd, glaring at the rogue standing behind me.

"Mia Jones." I said, grabbing his attention while holding out my hand. He ignored the gesture while growling at the man and he was giving off rather dangerous vibes.

"Why the Hell is their a rogue in my territory?!" He pointed angrily.

"He's the wolf I work with." I replied, pulling my hand back while glancing around. They were all staring at the man that was actually being quiet. However, I could figure why they were staring, he was a rogue and albino to top it off. White wolves were uncommon as it was, but wolves like him were almost unheard of.

"You didn't tell me he was a rogue!"

"Don't worry, Alpha, he will remain professional as long as we're here. If he gets into trouble, he's your's to punish as you see fit." Glancing back at the rogue over my shoulder, I had a serious look on my face. Rogues were usually killed for their wrong-doings on pack territories, but that's just how things were. Plus, he was rather intimidating looking with his muscle and how tall and broad he was.

"....He stays with you at all times, I don't want him sniffing around on his own." The large Alpha pointed at me, anger still in his eyes as he clenched his jaw. "I'm only allowing this because I know George and he wouldn't raise a _complete_ idiot." A low growl came from my side and I jabbed the rogue in his ribs with my elbow to shut him up.

"I understand, sir. Thank you." Nodding, I shifted on my feet. "I will make sure he doesn't bother the other wolves as well."

"Damn right, you will." He said lowly before turning on his heel. "Your sleeping arrangements will be changed. You'll be sleeping in the Omega house. No way am I having that _thing_ in my home, it'd reek of _rogue_." I had the strange urge to strike the Alpha, but I knew that was only because of the bond I had with the albino man. If he was any other rogue, I wouldn't give two shits, nor would I be in such a situation as this.

"As you see fit, Alpha." I replied, making sure not to anger him or he'd lash out like Alpha's usually did. Sighing through my nose, I glanced back at the rogue again and saw him glaring at everyone. Rolling my eyes, I began to walk away. "Come on, we'll drop off our stuff before heading out for pictures."

He just huffed and followed me, baring his teeth at the people staring at him if they were too close for his liking. In the Omega house, we were given a single room to really ensure he was never out of my sight. The smaller wolves there acted like chickens and the rogue was a fox in their pen. There was only one beg in the room, but they drug in a cot and I set my backpack down in a chair while digging out my camera. Taking off my gloves and leaving my helmet on top of my bag, the rogue just tossed his stuff onto the cot while grumbling incoherently under his breath.

"I gotta make a call before we go, I don't know the signal strength out in the woods." I stated while pulling out my phone from my pocket.

"I hate pack lands." He growled, not really talking to me and more to himself.

"Hey, Nina, it's Mia." I said as soon as the call was answered.

"What do you need?"

"I've got that guy and we're at a new location to shoot, what kind of photos do you want to see of him?" I asked while fiddling with the strap on my camera.

"Oh, let me talk to him." There was a hint of excitement in her voice and my brows furrowed.

"Why?"

"Because he's hanging in my office, darling. I want to talk to the model for a bit." Pinching the bridge of my nose, I shook my head. Holding the phone out to the rogue, I looked him right in the eye.

"You behave, you understand me? That director wants to talk to you." Confusion flashed in his eyes before he took the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" He spoke into the phone, but I couldn't really make out what Nina was saying back to him, I could only hear jumbled noise from her end. After about a minute of them talking and only hearing his side of the conversation, his red eyes looked at me as a mischievous smirk pulled at his lips. Oh no....what was she telling him? "Yeah, I can do that." He said, then heard the woman say something before he handed back the cellphone.

The call had ended, and I looked to the rogue with suspicion.

"What's that look on your face for?"

"What look, angel?" He asked before going to the door.

"That smirk."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but don't we have work to do, _partner_?" The rogue replied while opening the door.

"Why do I get the feeling I can't trust you and Nina?" I mumbled while following him out of the room. It was a relief that he wasn't trying to cling on me anymore, but he still walked rather close to me on our way through the buildings and to the forest.


	9. Oh, Angel

"What kind of photos did Nina want with you?" I asked the man beside me while taking the cap off of my lens.

"Like the one you sent her." He answered, shrugging off his jacket.

"But you were naked with only a palm plant for censorship." I popped off while turning on my camera and checking my settings.

"Exactly." He chuckled.

"Wait, what?" I then looked up at him and saw the he was already half naked and unzipping his pants.

"She liked the '_natural beauty'_ of it." The rogue smirked at me and now I understood the look from earlier. Groaning while smacking a hand onto my forehead, I heard him wiggling out of his pants.

"Nina, damn it...." I mumbled, then looked back to seeing him hooking his fingers into the waistband of underwear. "Wait, come here before you're completely nude." I said flatly while waving my hand. He took a few steps towards me and I reached up to mess with his hair. "You don't have that lion's mane anymore, so we have to work with what we got." Explaining when he gave me a strange look, it took me a second to realize how soft his hair was.

Sort of pausing, I just ran my fingers through his pale white locks, feeling as if I was petting a wolf with silk fur. His hair was like snow, and the way the light hit it made it sort of have a halo-like effect. Running my fingers over some strands in his fringe, I finally came out of my dazed out state when I saw him looking right at me. Clearing my throat, I took my hand away and pointed to the forest behind him.

"Okay, you're good now." I said lowly, and he got a small smirk on his lips while turning around. His gaze lingered on me before he faced away and dropped his drawers, letting them pool in the grass at his feet. Not really being phased by nudity from seeing hundreds of naked people before a run, I just looked back to my camera.

However....my eyes wandered back up when he began to step away from his clothes. There were a few scars littering his back, but those muscles and that ass were just divine. I was staring and I knew it, yet I couldn't really help it. The man was as beautiful as an angel, but even Lucifer was an angel, and that seemed to be what this rogue was- a devil in disguise.

"So....what do you want me to do, angel?" He asked, having his hands on his hips while looking at the trees above him. I could hear birds chirping and I'd be sure to find a few after taking the pictures of him that Nina wanted. Shaking my head when his voice brought me out of my trance, I swallowed while waving my hand.

"Just do what you'd normally do minus the hunting and killing." I said. "Just sort of walk around and chill, I guess." The albino man rose a brow at me briefly, but shrugged his shoulders and did as I had suggested. Taking pictures at certain points of his movement, I saw how his pale skin and hair seemed to glow where the sunlight hit it, making him look ethereal and straight out of a fantasy novel.

His muscles rolled under his skin as he moved, and he made sure to show them off at times when he was _'casually'_ stretching. The man was the beast and the beauty in this setting, and I could see what Nina was thinking in having him nude in these photos. Clothes would take away from the photo, making him look unnatural in the forest, but his comfort with the way he was as it seemed like he owned the place made him look like a part of the forest. Like some sort of spirit.

Whenever I took a picture, though, something was always at least covering his crotch. Whether it be a plant or his leg, there was always at least some sort of censorship. No way in Hell was I sending Nina anything that would be put on display that showed every inch of my mate. He was mine, but I'd at least share some of his beauty with the world like I did the pack lands.

'_Wait, what the fuck am I **thinking**?'_ My brows furrowed. _'Did I just think of him as **mine**?' _ Looking at him from over the camera, I felt like my ears were burning. This bond was already playing tricks with my head, and seeing the rogue strutting around naked didn't seem to be helping any. I mean, I was getting a full view of everything. Those abs, those biceps, his toned back and ass, those thighs, and even his dick.

My cheek were hot every time I glanced below his bellybutton, following that trail of white hair to his groin. I bit my bottom lip to try and stay focused, but my wolf was howling and panting, drooling while watching him move around the forest. The birds overhead didn't really take notice to the predator prowling below since they were so high up, but I felt like prey whenever his ruby eyes looked my way.

He'd smirk, knowing damn well why my face was red, and he seemed to get a prideful air around him. No longer being able to take it when he playfully ran his tongue over his sharp teeth, I lowered the camera while clearing my throat.

"That's good for now. I want to get some shots of the wildlife as well." I said without looking at him and instead looked down at my camera.

"Sure thing." His tone was light as he went over to his clothes and got dressed. However, now that he was closer to me, his eyes looked darker than before and he was purring.

"What are you looking at?" Baring my teeth, I felt myself tense up under his gaze.

"I can smell your arousal." He grinned, looking at me with half-opened eyes and I noticed how his pants seemed tighter than before.

"That's not me." I said firmly while turning my back on him and focusing on my camera so I wouldn't look at him. "It's the wolf." My face was completely red by now, and I absolutely did not want him seeing me blush.

"The wolf is you, angel." His voice purred right next to my ear. "And fuck, does it smell good." The rogue nipped at the cartilage of my ear, making me jolt as his hands slithered onto my hips. "Come on, angel, there's no patrol out here, they're closer to the damn border. You've seen me naked, I think it's my turn to see you." His voice was getting husky as his body pressed against my back.

"No." I said, but my tone was a lot weaker than the firmness I wanted it to be.

"Oh, angel, don't be that way. You can ride me if you wanna be on top~." He said, his nose brushing against the corner of my jaw. "I can make you feel _so_ fucking good, Mia." His hands ran down my thighs and my body reacted to the way his husky voice uttered my name, leaning into his touch as I clutched onto the camera in my hands. "Just give me the chance." And I shuddered, feeling his sharp teeth graze my skin as his hot breath fanned over the side of my neck.

Wait....those weren't just his teeth. Those were his fangs!

Quickly pushing him away, I shook my head to try and clear away the cloudiness. Gulping, I felt extremely hot and his scent was like a drug with his own arousal laced in with it, but I had to keep a clear head. _'He's a rogue, Mia! A rogue! Good Goddess, what are you doing?!'_

"God dammit!" He snarled. "What will it fucking take for you to except me? We're mates whether you like it or not, so I don't see why you keep fucking pushing me away! Hell, even fate is fucking trying to put us together!" The albino man's tone was harsher than before as he rose his voice. "You keep fucking running, but look where we keep ending up! I may be a damned rogue, but you're the wolf fucking fated to one by the Goddess herself."


	10. Going Under

"Fuck you." I said lowly, shooting a cold look over my shoulder.

"I wish you would, that's my point!" He replied, raising his hands at his sides. "I tracked you over hundreds of goddamned miles because I want you, and the only thing that gets you to stop literally running from me is some bitch wanting you to take my picture for money!"

"You're a fucking rogue! What do you expect from me?! There's no telling how many others you've killed, and you were covered in blood when we met! You think I dreamed of having a mate that was some packless wolf? No, I didn't!"

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not some fucking Alpha all you bitches seem to want!" He shouted.

"I don't want an Alpha, either! Hell, if you were even at least an Omega, I would have taken you, but you're not! You're the scum of our kind, the filth we try to hide from the world! When you hear the word rogue, what is it you think of? Puppies and kittens? No, you think of some lying bastard tearing out the throats of his friends just for him to rise in power out in the wild!"

"You think I wanted to be this?" He stepped towards me while slamming a hand on his chest. "To be kicked out of my damn pack and forced to fucking fight for my own goddamned survival while those around me wanted to kill me? I was forced out because of the way I fucking look and those superstitious bastards hoped I'd die out there! I was a kid, Mia, a fucking kid!" He shouted. "This is just what fucking happens, you kill and stain yourself in blood to survive and you either lose your fucking soul to it or begin to fucking like it! And yes, I'll admit that I began to like it. I liked seeing the life leave their eyes as they were choking on their own blood after begging for mercy so hard. I wanted them to fucking suffer, to have me be the last thing they fucking saw before they died. I won't play the damn victim in this because I know I'm fucking not, I'm the monster that haunts the nightmares of pups, but not even I would push my mate away because of who or what they are."

"That's because you have nothing to worry about, there's not much worse than you." I snarled, but the fact of how he became a rogue struck me pretty hard. Hardly any child that didn't have a pack survived, and he stuck out like a sore thumb with his pale complexion, not having any sort of camouflage.

"True, but we were fated for a reason." His jaw clenched. "So that can't make you much better than me." I scoffed at him.

"Please, is that your belief? That because we're supposed to be mates that I'm anything like you? Well, news flash, buddy, I'm not! I've never killed another wolf and any animal I even injured was for food. I've never done half of the shit you've probably done and you damn well know it. Why'd you even think I'd turn to you and bat my eyelashes like some love-sick pup?"

"I didn't even think I'd ever get a mate, but then I saw you and I thought...." His voice trailed off as he growled and he ran his hand through his hair. He looked so frustrated, but he had to understand that what he was did effect things, it wasn't all hunky-dory just because we had that _bond_. "Fuck it, why even try? I saw you as a fucking chance to change, Mia, as my escape from that damned world, but you keep trying to fucking shove me right back into it! I know what you're feeling, but you're completely ignoring it and won't even fucking give me the chance to prove myself! I could have done _so_ many thing, but I haven't because I want you to accept me! I just want to switch places with you to see how you fucking like it!"

"I could say the same to you! My life was going perfect before you came along, my job was perfect, I was free and even had connections to the humans!"

"You still do! I haven't taken any of that from you!"

"You will! You think my pack would keep me if they knew who my mate was? You think anyone would work with me if they knew the monster that you were?" I rose my voice while looking at him. "I'm fighting our goddamned bond because of the danger you and your kind are! You're a blight that infects everything it touches, devouring everything in your fucking path!" He snarled, growling loudly as his anger was rising. "I'm trying to save everything I have by keeping you as far from me as fucking possible."

"How would you even know what I'd do? You don't even know me! You haven't even given me a chance for anything!" He shouted before suddenly grabbing my face. "And if you're not going to let me fucking show you what I can be, then I'll force you to fucking see. I'm your mate, Mia, and I _can't_ be _replaced_." And the rogue was suddenly kissing me. I tried to push him back, but he held on and one of his hands went to the back of my head.

I was going to bite him to get him to back off, but he tugged on my hair while slipping his tongue into my mouth. The hands I had on his chest and wrist from trying to get him off just froze as I tasted him on my tongue. Despite his rough kiss and his rigid body so close to mine, he tasted....sweet. Something seemed to flip a switch in the man because the scent of aggression on him changed to match the sweet taste on my lips.

Not being able to control it, I began to kiss back, my lips syncing with his as his tongue caressed mine. If I was naive, I'd describe it as being in Heaven with all of the fireworks and sparks and yada-yada, but I wasn't and I knew that I was being drug into Hell with the flames licking at my skin. My body felt so hot as my lips tingled from the skin-to-skin contact and there was a buzz within me as my wolf was purring in satisfaction.

....I wanted more. I wanted to taste more of this sinful fruit the devil was presenting me with as I tugged on the front of his shirt to bring him closer to me due to the height difference. His grip on my hair tightened as a possessive growl rumbled in his chest like a motor, and the hand on my face went to my lower back as he pulled my body flush against his. Dear Goddess, I was drowning, and I couldn't tell if it was because of the bond or because of how he kissed me.

The sensitive nerves in my lips and tongue were being lit on fire from his mouth as he nipped my bottom lip and slid his tongue over mine, dominating me through a simple kiss. Did I say simple? Hah! No, this was fucking heated as Hell. Simple would be a quick peck, but that sweet taste of him was going to give me a sugar-high from how much he was giving me.

However, he pulled me off of him by pulling my hair and a string of saliva still connected our mouths as we looked at each other with half-hooded eyes. We were both panting, and it was easy to see the heat in his cheeks from how pale he was. Those blood colored eyes of his were like red diamonds as he looked down at me.

There was no taking this back now. I had kissed back, even pulled him closer, proving that I honestly did want him. Fuck.


	11. When In Doubt, Call Mom

Looking up at him, he licked his top lip slowly while purring, but my expression was hinting at the shock I felt at what I had done. Having no clue what to do as my heart was racing in my chest, I just panicked and punched him.

My knuckles caught him in his jaw and he went down while I was covering my mouth. He landed face first into the grass and didn't move, but I wasn't really worried about that since my mind was just screaming incoherently. My cheeks were extremely hot, and it was as his the feeling of his lips were burned onto mine as they were still tingling from his contact. Trying to swallow the lump in my throat, I kept my mouth covered as I looked down at the rogue.

He was unconscious rather than dead, but he wasn't moving at all.

"Oh....my.... Holy shit!" I hissed lowly with wide eyes. _'What the fuck am I supposed to do now?!'_ I mentally screamed. _'I just punched the shit out of him!'_ Waving my hands as I looked around, I was still a bit flustered and panicking after that kiss that I hadn't even seen coming since we had been shouting at each other.

Quickly pulling out my phone, I checked to see if I had signal. I did, but only barely, so I called my mom for help.

"Hey, honey!" Her sweet voice answered, but as soon as I heard her speak, words were flying out of my mouth.

"Oh, my God, Mom, please help me!" I began. "I just knocked this guy out in the middle of the forest and I have no idea what to do with him!"

"Hold on, slow down, honey. What happened?" She asked, concern in her voice. Taking a deep breath to try and calm myself, I tried to explain it better.

"Okay, so I'm in the forest, working, and he and I were shouting at each other and arguing and suddenly he kissed me and I freaked and now he's laying on the ground knocked-out because I punched him and he still hasn't even moved and I think it's been, like, a minute by now and should I hide his body or something? Because I'm not sure he's even going to wake up and he's just laying there with his face in the dirt! But I can't believe I panicked like that, I mean, I just decked him!" I spoke faster than I ever had before and flung a hand out towards the rogue to gesture at him, but it wasn't like my mother could actually see.

"....Darling, who did you punch? It wasn't one of the wolves in that pack, was it?"

"Thank God it wasn't, but it was my mate!" I blurted out. My mom squealed so loudly that I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

"My baby girl's found her mate! Oh, Goddess, that's wonderfu- Oh, my Goddess! You knocked out your mate?!" She screeched.

"I panicked."

"Roll him over so he can breathe, Mia!"

"Right." I nodded, going to his side and grabbing his shoulder. Flipping him onto his back, I could see a bruise already forming where I had hit him on his jaw. It showed up so obviously because of his pale skin and I sort of cringed since I could actually make out my knuckles. "Now what?"

"Check his pulse to be sure he's alive." Putting a couple of my fingers under his chin on his throat, I felt for his heartbeat while listening as well to be sure.

"He's alive."

"Okay."

"Now what?" My brows furrowed.

"We wait." She replied. "And don't you dare run away and leave him there, what kind of impression would that leave on the poor boy?" I looked straight ahead while making nearly the same face I had when sneaking past the rogues and the deer while furrowing my brows. _'If you only knew....'_ I thought.

"We wait? Are you serious?" I asked with a flat tone.

"Yes, you don't how long he might be knocked out, so just wait." My mother stated. "Now, what's his name or did you punch him before even getting it?"

"No, I at least got that." I sighed while taking my hand off of the albino man's neck. "His name is Aiden." Speaking only after making sure the rogue was still unconscious, I then rocked back onto my feet and stood.

"Oh, well, that's nice. I knew this wolf who found her mate and he ended up being named Sue, so at least he doesn't have a woman's name." Pinching the bridge of my nose, I walked away from the sleeping man.

"I don't think names really matter in this, Mom." I told her.

"Yeah, what actually matters is that you punched him. Oh! What's he like?

"....Loud." There was a pause before I added on. "And angry."

"Sounds like an Alpha." And from her tone I knew she was probably wiggling her eyebrows.

"No, far from it." I scoffed. Glancing over my shoulder, I looked back at the rogue. "And guess what."

"What?"

"He's albino."

"You're shitting me!" My mom gasped. "George! Come here!" She then shouted and I held the phone away from my ear again. "Mia's found her mate!"

"What?!" I heard my dad shout in the background.

"Yeah! And he's albino! Can you believe that?!"

"Holy shit! Seriously?"

"That's what she told me!" My parents were shouting back and forth, most likely being in different rooms of the house.

"I don't believe it, put him on the phone!"

"He's knocked out!"

"Why the Hell is he knocked out?"

"Mia punched him, she panicked after they kissed!"

"Ha!" Smacking my hand onto my forehead, I sighed while listening to my dad's roaring laughter and my mom cracked, laughing a bit herself.

"You are bringing him the next time you come back, right?" Mom then asked me.

"....I don't know." I said hesitantly before biting my lip.

"Mia, you have to!" My mom whined.

"Hey, when's she coming back?! That shit's piling up in her room!"

"What shit?" My brows furrowed after hearing my dad's comment. "I'm not even there."

"Oh....about that...." She trailed off.

"Mom?" Having a firm tone, I tried to remember if I left my room like a mess the last time I was there, but I was pretty sure I hadn't.

"Michael's back." She stated. "He's the new Beta after Taylor left to be in her mate's back."

"Holy shit! When did that happen?"

"About a month ago. He's been wanting to speak to you since he got back, but he leaves presents as well.... It's sweet, but a little annoying as well." Mom explained as my brow rose. Michael had been a friend of mine since we were pups, we were neighbors and would always run together and spar until he went off to train to be a warrior. About six months ago, I had heard that it hadn't quite worked out, so he was going to travel the world to try and find his mate before returning, but that was the last I had heard.

"Presents? What for?"

"You, honey. Beta Michael wants you to be his chosen."

"What about that whole '_find my mate_' quest?" My voice slightly rose as I waved my hand, not really expecting her to tell me what she had.

"It's better that you talk to him about that yourself, darling. And now that you've found your mate, things are gonna get a bit messy, so you might want to start thinking about things before you come home again. Just know that whatever you decide, we'll still love you no matter what." I could hear the soft smile in her voice as I looked at the rogue. I knew Michael like the back of my hand, well, at least I had. He could have changed for all I knew after he left, but if he was the same as before, I honestly wouldn't mind him as my mate. But the thing is....my real mate was right here in front of me.

"Thank you. I gotta go, he's starting to wake up. I love you and tell Dad I love him too."

"We love you too, honey. Bye-bye." And the call ended as the albino man was groaning and scrunching up his nose. Sighing through my nose, I just looked at him as he held his jaw and slowly sat up with his back to me. What the Hell had happened with Michael's big mission and what the Hell had made him want me as his chosen? Would his offer still be on the table even after he discovered I had found my mate?

Not only that....what would I do about the rogue? I mean, the longer I was around him, the harder it was to fight our bond and I didn't know if it had to do with my wolf or not. Just in the span of today I had thought of him as my mate and even said his name when talking to my mother. Sure, it was to tell her his name, but it had felt so nice to say it as it rolled off of my tongue.

"Did you fucking punch me?" The rogue said with disbelief as his tone was higher pitched than normal. He was looking at me, holding his jaw that was already starting to heal.


	12. A Chance

The rogue didn't really talk to me for the rest of the day as he followed me around the forest while I was photographing things. He was just grumpy looking and had his hands shoved into his pockets the entire time, but I wasn't complaining. The quiet helped me relax and find animals to take pictures of. I also immersed myself in my work so that I wouldn't have to worry about what my mother had told me.

But at the end of the day after eating dinner with the Omegas, it was just the rogue and I in that confined room and the silence was now unnerving. Zipping up my backpack after putting away my toothbrush, I sat on the edge of the bed while looking at the rogue. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I slowly let it out through my mouth while dropping my hands into my lap.

The things that he had shouted at me repeated in my head, and the thing he seemed to repeat the most was wanting a chance. I didn't really know anything about his past other than how he had become a rogue by getting kicked out, but I believed that may actually have something to do with him not wanting me to just turn him away.

"Okay." I spoke up, my voice soft as he was laying on the cot and staring at the ceiling. One hand laid on his chest while the other was under his head, and he didn't even look at me when I talked. "I'll try it. Giving you a chance, that is. If you honestly want to change from....whatever it is that you are, then I'll give you the opportunity to. However, you only get the one chance and that's all. Screw it up, and you won't ever see me no matter how hard you try to find me." His ruby orbs drifted to the corners of his eyes as he looked at me.

"Bullshit. You're probably just saying that so I'd go to sleep and give you the perfect opportunity to run again." His voice was flat and without much emotion.

"I'm serious."

"Why should I believe you? I don't even know you."

"Says the rogue?" I popped off. His brows slightly furrowed with irritation and I raised a hand while slightly cringing and shaking my head. "What I mean to say is, neither of really knows the other, but our bond isn't giving us much chance to do that, and yes, my running isn't helping that either. But you made a point earlier, we are fated, so there must be _something_ just waiting to be found between us. However, that something isn't always enough for some mates, but I'm willing to see what it is first before I actually decide anything." I kept my voice low so that the Omegas a few rooms over wouldn't hear us. "So, wanna try this again?" I asked while holding out my hand. "I'm Mia Jones."

There was a few seconds of silence before he sat up and looked me in the eye. Both of his hands rested on the edge of the cot on either side of his hips, and his eyes slightly narrowed. He was looking at me with what seemed to be suspicion, but I was honestly willing to give him a chance at this. Well,_ 'us'_ a chance. His jaw clenched for a split second before he hesitantly reached out his hand to shake mine.

"Aiden Crowson." He replied and there was that tingling sensation again as our hands touched.

"I'm a wolf from the Crescent Moon pack, daughter to a former Beta and his mate, and offspring to a pair of Deltas."

"Rogue." He stated. "Former son to a couple of bastards."

"....I guess that's a start." I awkwardly smiled.

"What'd you mean by daughter to a former Beta and offspring to Deltas?" The man's brows furrowed as he let my hand go.

"My parents died when I was two. It was an accident, and the Beta at that time took me in."

"....I see."

"So, any questions you want to ask me, or do you want my history to just unravel like a book over time for you?" I asked.

"Earlier today, at the gate, you acted very....differently. Is that how you normally are?"

"Yes." I answered him honestly. "Despite what you've seen so far, I'm actually quite the goofball."

"But you're always so angry and snappy."

"Well, you're a rogue. I was put on edge by you and I reacted according to my aggressive side as a way of protecting myself. I thought denying you would be the best course of action, but now I see that you _at least_ deserve a chance. And on that note, I apologize for running away from you so many times. Literally and metaphorically." I pointed.

"And how am I supposed to believe anything that you tell me?" Sighing as I stood up, I leaned over and softly kissed him on the cheek.

"You're just going to have to trust me. Now, goodnight." I replied before crawling under the covers on the bed. Settling my head onto the pillow after turning off the lamp, I got comfortable before closing my eyes.

"At least you didn't punch me that time." He popped off, and I softly growled a warning. "Okay, okay, geez. Night." The man's voice was lighter than before, not as serious sounding as it had been.

~

"Jesus Christ, you are _not_ doing this on this tiny ass bed!" I snarled while kicking the rogue off of the bed after waking up to him right behind me again.

"What happened to giving me a chance?" He grumbled after groaning when he hit the hard floor.

"That doesn't mean you jump in bed with me!" I replied while sitting up. "It's creepy going to sleep with you over there and waking up with you right here."

"You didn't seem to think it was creepy when you snuggled up to me both times."

"What?"

"Yeah," He smirked as his head popped up over the edge of the bed. "as soon as I lay down, you're rolling over and nuzzling up to me, even purring and I'm not even touching you. You just smell me and you're acting like a kitten, angel." I felt my cheeks heat up, hearing his steady heartbeat and cocky tone that was telling me he wasn't lying.

"For fuck's sake!" I groaned, my head crashing into the pillow as I looked at the ceiling. "Why are you doing this to me, Goddess?!" I threw my hands up while imagining the Moon Goddess having a good laugh at me. "Why?"

"Oh, look at you pouting."

"Shut up." I snapped, flipping him my middle finger.

"You're a lot nicer when you're asleep." The rogue stated as he got to his feet and stretched. "Hungry? They've got to have something to eat for breakfast." He added while scratching his stomach.

"Yeah. We can eat, pack a lunch, then head back out to the forest. We only have a few days here, then we'll go to the nearest city so I can print the photos and check my bank account. The money from the last batch should be in there by now." I said while swinging my legs out of bed and getting up. Unzipping my backpack, I pulled out some clothes for the day.

"Didn't you pretty much take a picture of everything yesterday? There's not much more than trees, birds, bugs, and bushes out there." He questioned.

"Wrong, there's a lake. And where's there's water, there's usually a gold mine." I replied as I grabbed some clean socks. "Fish, insects, rocks, plants, all sorts of things I can take photos of. I can do micro-photography or larger scale shots and each one could bring me a pretty penny." I explained while holding up my fingers in a circle like a coin.

"You have no life, do you?"

"Photography _is_ my life!" I shot him a look while placing a hand over my chest. "You're just jealous because all you did was hunt squirrels and nap all day naked." He opened his mouth to say something, then furrowed his brows and pointed at me.

"It wasn't _just _squirrels. It was deer and rabbits, too."


	13. Burn

"Oh, my God! Stop!" I shouted at the rogue while trying to protect my camera from his splashing. He had belly-flopped into the lake before trying to catch fish, making water fly everywhere, then got bored and started using his hands to squirt water at me. He was laughed the whole time, and I backed away from the edge of the lake as the frog I was taking a picture of leapt away.

"Come on, how many more pictures could you possibly need?" He chuckled.

"I don't keep all of them, you idiot!" I snarled, turning my back to him to keep my camera dry. "I go through them and pick the best, and only those are what pays for gas, thank you very much!" Wiping away the few water droplets on my lens, I clicked my tongue.

"Take a break, angel, it's hot and the water's cool!" The albino man replied. His clothes were in a pile a few feet from the water's edge, and after me warning him about fish biting his dick off, he at least kept his underwear on so he wasn't completely naked. I don't think I could handle him being naked again within the same week....

"No! The Alpha leaves tomorrow and that means we have to as well! There's no telling how many perfect shots this land has to offer!" I heard the water splashing around behind me from the rogue, but I was occupied on making sure nothing was wet on my camera.

"Whoops!" I nearly bit out of reflex when an arm suddenly wrapped around my waist. A hand suddenly grabbed my camera away from me and I was sent flying into the lake. My eyes were glaring daggers when my head broke the surface of the water and the pale man was standing triumphantly with my camera over his head as he was smirking. His other hand was on his hip as he waved the device in his other hand. "Oh, look at that! It's break time!"

"I'm gonna kill you." I snarled, bringing myself back to land. Kicking off my shoes, I pointing at Aiden and water flung from my fingertip from how soaked I was. "I'm gonna-" My serious face broke as a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. "I'm gonna do something very bad." I managed to say after clearing my throat and trying to keep a straight face.

"You don't scare me, angel." He chuckled, his chin slightly lifting. Peeling off my jacket and tossing it, I bolted after the rogue. His eyes widened before he quickly set down my camera and ran. Jumping to catch him, I shifted mid-air and tackled him into the shallow of the lake, ripping through my clothes and soaking my fur.

Laughing as I sat up and saw his hair sticking to his face like a snow colored mop, I shook my head to get rid of as much water as I could from my mane. Then, laughing some more while pointing at him, he jerked his head back to flip his wet hair to the top of his head. A mischievous smile broke out onto his face before he pounced on me and threw me further into the lake.

Aiden was right, the water was cool and it was a nice relief from the hot sun, not to mention that us splashing around like pups made me completely forget about my camera and taking pictures. The rogue even shifted forms to be able to keep up with me as I was escaping after I tossed a fish to him and it smacked him in the face before getting away. So, if anyone had happened upon us, they'd see a pure white werewolf chasing a rusty colored one and probably wonder what the Hell was going on since he was a rogue.

"You're so tiny, how are you this fast?!" The man shouted, trying to catch me as I ran through the shallower part of the lake.

"Aerodynamic!" I laughed, but all the fun and games can to a quick halt when the sun was lowering in the sky and I realized my only form of clothing was my soaking wet shoes and my jacket that was at least dry after sitting in the sun.

Standing there while my fur was fluffed up from getting wet and then drying, I tried to figure a way to get back to the Omega house without showing something. Fuck it, I'd walk back looking like a steroid pumped pomeranian. Then, it was like a light bulb popped up over my head. Dropping to the ground, I rolled around in the grass, smoothing my fur back down.

"What the Hell are you doing?" Aiden asked while chuckling.

"What's it look like?"

"A dog after a bath." I kicked up a chunk of dirt and grass, flinging it at him for his reply. After getting up and shaking the dirt from my fur, I picked up my jacket and shoes, hanging my camera around my neck so that I could carry all of my stuff.

"What happened to you?" The Alpha asked in passing when we got back from the forest.

"Got thrown into a lake. Need I say more?" I answered while walking past him. The Alpha just saw the look on the rogue's face and assumed the man's prank ended up in me getting pissed off and him getting amused by it. He gave Aiden a dirty look before walking away and I went to get dry clothes.

~

"How much?" I asked the lady behind the counter holding my envelope of printed photographs. She wasn't even looking at me, staring at Aiden instead with her face flushed and seemingly in a trance. Frowning, I leaned my face into the way and snapped my fingers. "Oi, how much?" Her face went redder when she realized she had been dazed out and staring and caught on top of it all.

"R-right!" She nodded, quickly scanning the code on the envelope. "Sorry...." She mumbled and my jaw clenched. The rogue hadn't even been paying attention, he was too busy looking around the place with eyes like a curious child since he had never been in a place like this before. "I-I don't mean to be rude, but I've never seen a real model for photos like these." She said lowly.

"It'd still be nice to keep things professional." I grumbled while seeing the price of the pictures and I swiped my card.

"Well, whoever took them is very good, too."

"Yeah, that was me." Not really knowing why, I just seemed to have a short temper with the woman. She was staring again as Aiden stepped closer to the counter and was discretely sniffing at stuff like a wild animal pretending to be disinterested when it really wasn't. _'Jesus! Why is she staring so goddamned hard?!'_ "Excuse me, ma'am." I had to smack my hand onto the counter to get her attention, causing her to jolt and startling her to the point that she let out a small yelp. _'Humans....'_ "Would you mind giving me my pictures now?"

"O-of course!" And she nodded while quickly handing them over. Sighing through my nose, I took them from her before turning on my heel and leaving.

"It's kinda hot when you get all jealous and territorial." Aiden popped off as we were walking to where I parked the bike.

"Ha! Please, I was just irritated with how long she was taking."

"Really?" Suddenly, the rogue's nose was close to the side of my neck. "No, that certainly doesn't smell like irritation."

"Stop doing that!" I snarled while pushing his face away from me. "I'm not jealous!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but you put off quite a bit of chemosignals and I'm picking them up like damned wildfire. Oh, there it is! Now there's irritation in there." He was smirking while I was trying to avoid looking at him. He pretended to gasp while covering his mouth. "Oh, dear me, are you the possessive type? Wanna ravish me now to assert your dominance?"

"Fuck off." I growled, feeling my ears heating up. "This isn't some damn dirty novel at the dollar store. And all werewolves are possessive." It only took a short while after me giving the rogue a chance for him to start doing stuff like this, fucking with me like I used to with other people. The only difference was that his teasing was more pointed at me only and sexually orientated than joking about being possessed.

"Hey, it was worth the try." He shrugged, then got a Cheshire worthy grin. "And did you just admit to being possessive?"

"Go away."

"You can't live without me, angel. You crave me too much." He slightly bowed while holding a hand over his heart and closing his eyes halfway while raising his eyebrows. I just shoved his helmet onto his head so I didn't have to see his face anymore.

At the ATM, I checked my balance in my account, and Aiden was looking over my shoulder as I did so. It wasn't like he was going to steal all of my money, it was in the bank and he wouldn't get very far if he stole my card. Seeing the deposits from the galleries and my new total, I smirked.

"Holy shit!" The rogue said with surprise from beside me. "I've got a sugar mama!"

"What?" I looked at him with furrowed brows.

"You're rich and you've bought me all this stuff." He explained while gesturing to his clothes.

"Oh, my god, I am _not_ a sugar mama!" Punching him in the shoulder, he silently mouthed 'ow' while holding his arm. "Where did you even hear that from?"

"Rogues can know slang, too, you know."

"What the fuck were you learning in the wild?" I shook my head while withdrawing some twenties in cash. Pulling my card back out, I pocketed the plastic rectangle and cash before turning on my heel.

"Awe, can't admit what you are, sugar mama?"

"I'd prefer you call me angel if _sugar mama _is the alternative." I grumbled.


	14. Late Night Chat

"So, we're probably going to travel day and night for two days, rest the third, then arrive at the pack lands the following morning."

"We gonna stop for food and piss breaks at least?" Aiden asked, his head hanging back as he sat on the park bench. I had sent the new photos of him to Nina yesterday, so they'd arrive by the time we were in pack territory and she'd probably call to say if she liked them or not. Folding up the map in my hands, I stuffed it back into my backpack.

"Obviously. I don't want you pissing on me or biting a chunk out of me." I replied. "There's no telling how many people you've cannibalized." I added in a lower tone.

"....Mmm....ten." He replied with a serious voice.

"What?!"

"Kidding!" The rogue quickly raised his hands when I whipped around to look at him. "Kidding! I haven't done that...." Sighing as I calmed, I went to zip up my bag. "....yet." He purred before nipping at my ear. Elbowing him in the chest out of reflex, I ignored him as he was grumbling about me always hitting him.

"Let's get going, we've got miles to cover." I slung my backpack onto my shoulders while standing. After getting a call from my mother about me needing to sort the stuff piling up in my room, we were heading to my pack. I had yet to figure out what to do with Aiden when we got there, but I was hoping some miracle would happen and I'd suddenly wake up with everything being a dream. However, not exactly _everything_ had to be a dream. There were quite a few good things I had noticed that I liked about the rogue.

For example, even if it only happened once, the way he softly smiled at me and made my heart flutter was definitely near the top of that list of things. The way he slept like a tuckered out pup nearly made me forget that he was actually a killer, and those ruby eyes seemed to see everything around him as he picked up on every subtle movement I made, reading me as if I was book with the help of his nose. When we went out to eat in human restaurants, whether it be fast food or not, he'd be very attentive of his behavior. He's had a few slip-ups here and there, but I was surprised there wasn't more with him being a rogue.

I'd figure he'd at least snap his jaws at a few people at least, but he only snarled or growled when they got too close to him or me. I knew he was trying really hard from how tense he always sat and clenched his jaw from time to time, but I had to give him credit that he was actually making an effort to change. It seemed quite difficult for him, but he was managing it.

Maybe this could actually work?

I mean, he wasn't going on a killing rampage in human territory, and so far he was holding up what he had said about wanting a chance to prove himself. If he kept it up, I might actually be able to have him as my mate. And by that, I meant I could be with him without my pack kicking me out because of who and what he was.

However....I still woke up every morning with him right behind me and holding on to me like I'd vanish if he didn't. But, then again, I had given him a reason to fear that happening. I had run from him multiple times and he was probably worried I'd run in the middle of the night while he slept.

~

"....You know, if you want, I can hang out in the territory around your pack lands if you don't want your pack to know about me." Aiden said softly from his bed the night before we'd arrive at my home.

"You know that won't work. Your scent is all over my clothes after you riding with me so much." I mumbled, holding the extra pillow to my chest as my eyes were closed.

"I don't want you to be hated because of me. They're your family-what's left of it, anyways."

"And this is coming from the man that told me to ride him just a few days ago?"

"A lot can happen in a few days." He replied.

"True." I sighed. "But it doesn't really matter, we're fated mates. We have no control over that."

"No, but they can force you to leave me for a chosen." Ah, yes, another thing I learned about Aiden: He had a difficult time trusting and believing in things. He masked his insecurities with cocky smiles and sadistic smirks, but times like these when he was searching for reassurance was when he unknowingly showed that vulnerability to me.

"Look who's a drama queen." I popped off while sitting up. Dropping the pillow in my arms, I got up and took one step to reach his bed. Crawling over to him, I saw his eyes in the dark looking at me with shock and confusion.

"What are you doing?"

"I already know you're gonna sneak over there after I fall asleep, so I might as well get it over with and just come over here." I answered him while lifting up the blankets. "But no groping." Pointing at him while while giving him a look, I managed to get under the covers. He nodded, and I turned my back to him.

Aiden wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling my body towards him before burying his nose into my hair. I didn't mind it though, it was probably how he calmed himself. I knew that whenever I got hurt when I was little, my mom's scent always made me feel a strange sense of comfort and security and maybe that's what it was like for the rogue with my scent instead. That, or just the familiarity of it.

Actually being conscious as he held me so gently to his chest instead of waking up and kicking him off the bed, I felt....safe. His soft breathing on the top of my head and his heartbeat was like the rain on a tin roof and it was lulling me into such a state of tranquility I had never felt before. The closest thing it came to, though, was when I would be rocked to sleep, but this was more.

Softly sighing through my nose, I rolled over and draped my arm over his side under his arm while curling up into his chest. It was so warm and he smelt so nice as I let my eyes close. The past me would be screaming to get away from the rogue, but I felt safe and protected in his arms. My wolf was also quite content, purring inside my head now that I was accepting Aiden.

I wanted to blame the Moon Goddess for the bond she made between us for making me feel this way, but deep down I knew....I knew that the way this man was holding me was genuine as was the comfort I felt being so close to him.

It was lonely traveling for work, but what I did was my passion and I couldn't take my pack with me everywhere, so his presence from the get-go was a relief. Despite all of it, though, Aiden was still a dangerous rogue and he could relapse at any moment. He had admitted to liking killing other rogues and he had confessed to being without a pack since he was a child, so there was no denying that there was something so feral, so primal, and so dark within him. It was just sleeping right now, but sooner or later it'd be pacing within it's cage and wanting to get out.

Burying my face into his chest, I clenched my jaw. I didn't want to think about what could happen if the albino man holding me decided to go back to how he was, I just wanted to relish the feeling of being here with my mate and being surrounded in utter calm....


	15. Home Again

Rolling up to the security box, I pushed the palm shaped button under the speaker and waited for the head of security to answer. My nerves were a bit on edge as the rogue straddled the bike behind me, and my heart was even beating a bit faster. Everyone knew I was bringing my mate with me, Mom couldn't stop bragging about how I had finally found him after so long, and then they'd all know a rogue was my fated.

"Mia?" The voice in the speaker questioned, and I nodded, too nervous to speak. "What's the code?" Smirking, I felt some stress ease off as Jacob gained a playful tone. There wasn't an actual code to get in, it was just our thing to make sure it was actually me coming in and not someone else on a bike. Sitting up straight on the motorcycle, I struck a Johnny Bravo pose and heard the gate buzzer go off. "Yup, that's Mia." Jacob chuckled.

Seeing the gate sliding across the road, I swallowed, hesitating before I put my hands back onto the handlebars and drove in. The familiar scent of home greeted me as I rode through the buffer zone, and a resounding group howl from the patrols rose up from the forest to welcome me back home. Softly smiling, I figured Jacob had told them I was back over the radio.

I felt like I was about to go up on stage with how nervous I was as I neared pack territory. My mind was racing with the many scenarios of how this could go, and nearly every one of them ended badly.... Taking a deep breath, I rounded the corner on the bike, coming around the trees before a clearing showed. At the end of the road, my family and friends were waiting there, waving when I came into view.

Parking the bike next to a cluster of trees that had fused together into a larger tree, I slid off the bike and pulled off my helmet. A huge smile broke out onto my face as my mom and dad grabbed me in a near bone crushing hug. However, despite the joy I was feeling, my throat felt like it was constricting as it was too late to run now. They were going to find out about Aiden here and now.

"Gotta breathe!" I spoke up and my parents backed off, grinning from ear to ear at me.

"So great to see you back!" My mom said.

"It's been months!" My dad chimed in.

"Miiiiiiaaaaaa!!" I heard someone crying as they ran at me, and my parents parted so that the brunette woman could tackle me with a hug. She was sobbing and burying her face into my jacket while clinging to me. "Oh, my God! You can't be gone that long and not message me, I thought you were dead!" Sighing, I pat her on the back. Karen and I were cousins, but she was rather dramatic and cried easily. A puppy came on TV? She'd cry. A spider in the corner? She'd cry.

She was emotional, but it was adorable at times because of the random stuff she'd say while she was bawling her eyes out. Like, one time, she had been eating some pretzels and some where broken. She was holding a few in her hand and began to cry while rambling about how the broken pretzels may or may not want to be eaten first because they were suffering from injuries since they weren't whole....

"Karen, I don't usually have signal. You know that." I replied while holding her out at arm's length. Then, everyone's attention then turned to the man getting off of the bike. Clearing my throat, I waved a hand to the rogue and could already see the shocked expressions on their faces as they looked to the tall man. "And this is my fated mate. Say hello, I guess?" I mumbled as he took off his helmet, and I could hear audible gasps as they got a good look at the albino rogue. Aiden's expression was firm as he looked over their faces, seeming more tense than usual.

"He's a-he's a...."

"An albino. I know." I nodded while sighing and stuffing my hands into my pockets. "Kinda wicked, right?" I smirked. However, it seemed my scent was masking his rogue one enough that they hadn't caught on to it yet.

"Mia!" And Michael came into view, walking up from the Alpha house as he was grinning and waving. On habit, I smiled back as he hugged me. He was much broader than I remembered, more muscled, and much taller. "It's been too long." He chuckled. His once blonde hair was now the color of tree bark and his green eyes glittered as he looked down at me, his hands on my shoulders.

"Yeah, we were still teenagers the last time we saw each other." I replied. "You've filled out." Punching him in the shoulder, he lightly laughed but my ears picked up a low growl. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Aiden glaring at Michael. And then I remembered why the Beta was back.... "Uh, Michael, this is my fated." The brunette's smile faded as he looked to the white haired man, but then he forced a smile back onto his lips.

"Oh, really? Great to meet you, I'm Michael. Mia and I go way back." He said while holding out a hand to the albino man. Aiden looked at the hand held out to him, then to me, and then back to Michael before hesitantly reaching his hand out.

"What pack is he from?" Karen asked me, and Michael suddenly froze before he and the albino shook hands and stepped back, growling at him.

"Rogue!" He snarled, finally getting Aiden's scent an alerting everyone else standing there. I could feel the tension in the air, especially when the Beta grabbed my hand and pulled me behind in him a protective manner. "Mia, you brought a rogue here?!" Aiden then began to growl back, not liking how Michael was touching me and being so close. I could practically see his wolf ghosting over him, and I quickly freed my hand and got between the two that were baring their fangs at each other.

"Michael, I already told you!" I quickly said while holding my hands up. "This is my fated, and you! Stop it!" I gave Aiden a look while pointing at him. His red eyes were glaring daggers at the Beta and I had to place a hand on his chest when his tense muscles twitched when he was about to move forward. "I said stop." I growled a warning, feeling the rumbling in his chest as it vibrated my hand. His eyes were dark, and this was the first time I was actually seeing him like this since Michael had been the first male other than my father to actually come into contact with me.

Thankfully, his growling died down as I turned back to look at Michael. The other male was also glaring, still growling lowly at the rogue. My parents were wide eyed as was the rest of them, realizing that my mate was a rogue.

"Mia, you know our laws. What the Hell is that thing doing on our lands?" Michael snarled, pointing at Aiden.

"Are you even listening to me?" My brows furrowed. "He's my fated mate."

"And?! He's a rogue!" The brunette waved his hand while looking at me.

"No shit, Sherlock. You think I don't know that by now?" I bared my teeth, feeling irritated since I was shoved into this situation. Thank the Heavens Aiden didn't know about the Beta wanting me to be his chosen or it wouldn't have been as easy to calm him down.

"I think this needs to be talked over with some dinner and lots of alcohol. For me, not you guys." My dad spoke up, his hands on his hips. "And I mean_ lots_ of booze because this is just...." He made noises like an explosion while gesturing his hands by his head.


	16. Dinner

"Do you like venison?" My dad asked as he was bringing food to the table. "Ah, who am I kiddin'? Of course you do, here." He then just dumped some meat onto Aiden's plate before serving everyone else as well. The rogue gave me a look and I just rose my brows while shrugging. My parents could be strange, but I wouldn't have them any other way.

"Thank you, George." Michael nodded to the older male, still eyeing Aiden and I with a firm expression. Despite the laws the Beta had mentioned earlier concerning the man that sat next to me being a rogue, the laws that concerned mates overruled them so long as I was still a part of the pack and the Alpha couldn't technically do anything about it unless he kicked me out as well. However, he was aware of Michael's intentions with me, (Like I wouldn't recognize the look the Alpha had given his Beta) so he had yet to exile me from the pack.

The tension in the air could be cut like a knife, and my parents were cautious of the rogue while still trying to be nice because of me....

"So....I see _Mia_ has cleaned you up from the filth you no doubt were." Michael popped off as my dad sat down. The former Beta made the face I tended to in certain situations while looking between the current Beta and the rogue since they sat across from each other. God, I hoped neither of them flew over the table to get the other....

"Among _other_ things." Aiden replied while taking a drink from his water.

"Say, how about you tell us how you two met?" Mom smiled while trying to change the subject. Looking right at her, I then stood up and reached over the table to grab my dad's cup. Chugging the whiskey in it, I then calmly set it down and looked back to my mom as I sat back in my chair.

"That bad?" Dad raised a brow at me.

"I was in the neutral territory around Eagle Arrow Pack, driving down the road until I came across a rogue in the middle of the way eating a deer." I began.

"Oh, that's not too bad." Mom glanced at the albino man. Holding up my hand as I took a deep breath from my nose, I continued.

"He was in the way, so I shouted for him to move. He turned on me and I was ready to fight, but then Powder over here came flying from out of the forest and tackled the other rogue." The others were listening, thinking this story was going to go a completely different way than what it was. "While they were fighting, I snuck past on my bike, but looked back after hearing a yelp. I was a bit shocked seeing an albino wolf, but he was the victor in the battle over the deer. He saw me, I saw him, then I drove off."

"That does sound like you." Dad mumbled.

"Wait, so he was fighting the other rogue over a deer in the road? Not to save you?" Michael raised a brow.

"I didn't know she was even there until after I had killed the other rogue." Aiden replied, looking down at his food as he stabbed the fork into the meat.

"You....killed him?"

"It was either that or he killed me." The rogue answered before he started to stuff his face.

"Oh, dear." Dad sighed while rubbing his temples. "I'll get more booze." He got up to refill his own cup, but brought some extra for me as well.

"Sounds fitting for a _rogue_. To meet his mate while covered in _blood, _that is." Michael was glaring, but finally began to eat.

"So you were once in the Eagle Arrow Pack?" Mom asked.

"No." Aiden stated. "I have to move around territories every so often so I don't get bored." No one wanted to ask what he meant by that, but their imaginations were no doubt running wild.

"And you've accepted this rogue as your mate, Mia?" The Beta glanced to me and I gave him a look.

"You can see my neck, so why the Hell are you asking?" I furrowed my brows while yanking my leather jacket collar to the side for emphasis. There was a quiet pause as his eyes wandered down from my face and I felt another set of eyes on me. Aiden was staring at my bare neck and I snarled at him. "Oh, my God. I'm not presenting, I'm proving a point." My parents coughed, but said nothing as I but the jacket collar back.

"Then why is he here if you haven't accepted him?"

"Because I have to get to know him before I can reject him or whatever. Despite being a rogue, he's not _that_ bad." I said while eating some mashed potatoes. "So far." I added.

"He killed someone when you first met and you say he's _'not that bad_'?" The Beta gave me a look of disbelief.

"To be fair, the other guy was a rogue too, so...."

"Hey! How about work? How's that?" Mom rose her voice, changing the subject again while seeing Aiden getting irked.

"Pretty good. I should be getting a call from Nina at any time now to get a critique on the latest photos." I replied while drinking some of the whiskey Dad had given me. It would take a lot to get a werewolf drunk, so just the two drinks was like having Kool-Aid.

"Oh, really? Why's that?" Mom questioned. Hesitating, I gave a nervous laugh.

"She accidentally got a photo of him and wanted more. Humans are a bit weird like that." I pointed a thumb at Aiden.

"You've been photographing a rogue for a human?"

"It's not like she knows what the Hell he is. Plus, you have to admit, the albino thing does cause wonder to arise within people. Humans just like things that are pretty or rare and, well, can't get much rarer than a wolf like him." Shrugging, I shoveled more potatoes into my mouth so I wouldn't have to talk anymore.

"Aw, and for a second there I thought you were going to call me pretty." The rogue faked a sigh and I flipped him off.

"Dream on, princess."

"Remember when we used to dare each other to go into the buffer zone?" Michael questioned, trying to get my attention off of Aiden. "We did it to see if we could spot rogues."

"Yeah, we were hardly pups anymore. However, that stopped when your dad caught us, if you don't recall." I said. "He was _not_ happy about it, either."

"I remember." He chuckled. "There was that time when we actually did see one, you were so scared and wouldn't stop clinging onto me until the following day."

"I was not clinging."

"You were on me like a monkey, Mia. I could hardly breath with how tight your legs were squeezing me." His green eyes were directed straight at Aiden when he said that, and I heard a low growl coming from my side.

"Yeah, right. Oh, remember when I used to kick your ass?" I popped off, raising my brows to let him know to back off. "I remember doing that a lot."

"You always had a strange way of showing affection." The Beta smirked while taking a drink from his water.

"I doubt that was affection, Michael, you did eat her sweet rolls." Mom popped off while cutting a piece of venison and eating it.

"_Anyways,_ it's good to be home again." I smiled. "How have you guys been, anyways?"

"Same old, same old. Nothing quite that interesting other than your father getting nearly electrocuted when he tried to fix the TV." Mom replied and Dad got this look on his face.

"I swear, the guy I bought it from rigged it." He pointed to her with his fork.

"Of course, sweetheart." Mom smiled sweetly before winking at me.

After dinner, we managed to go without incident, but Aiden nearly did jump over the table at some of the comments Michael made about him and I. We had a past together, so of course a lot of things happened between us. However, the things he decided to dredge up and reminisce on he knew would set the rogue off. Any mention of any other male touching me made Aiden angry, especially if it was Michael, but I never really hung out with the other females, so there were a lot of stories the Beta used as ammo. To me, the stories were innocent memories, but the way Michael worded them made it seem like there was something more to it and I knew he was doing it just to mess with the rogue.

Thankfully, some of the tenseness left when Michael returned to the Alpha house and both of my parents and I sighed in relief as soon as he was gone. When everyone was going to bed after the long day, my dad made up the couch for Aiden to sleep on, and the rogue didn't really say anything about it. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I glanced back at the pale haired man as he was plopping down on the couch. He was still trying his damnedest to act as appropriately as possible since everyone's eyes were on him, waiting for him to snap and prove to them that he really was nothing more than a filthy rogue parading around as if he was better.

Going upstairs to shower and head to my room, I felt my eyebrow twitch when I opened my door. There were stuffed animals, deer skulls, cards, letters, and all sorts of boxes filling my room and I knew each of them were the presents my mom had mentioned to me. Pushing the things aside with my foot to get to my dresser, I grabbed some bed clothes before going to the bathroom. When I got out of the shower, I went back to my room and made a pathway to my bed.

Laying down, I sighed while liking the familiarity of my own bed. Closing my eyes, I wanted to sleep after driving all day and getting the 3rd degree about Aiden, but something was keeping me wide awake. Growling as my eyes popped open again, I already knew what it was. My room reeked of Beta Michael from all of his gifts just sitting in there. His scent wasn't like it used to be, and the smell he left on the stuffed animals and presents wasn't going to allow me to relax at all.

Swinging my legs over my bed, I rubbed my temples while going to my door. _'Just tonight, then I can go through this stuff tomorrow and have my room again.'_ I thought while walking into the hallway. Going down the stairs, I walked through the darkness, knowing where everything was after years of living in the house. Seeing Aiden on the couch, staring at the ceiling, he hardly even made notice of me standing there.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

"Nope. You?" I said.

"Before you could tell who your mate was, did you wish it to be the Beta?" His question kind of blind-sided me, but his tone was rather serious and I had to answer.

"No." I replied, and he looked up at me as I walked over to the couch. "I wasn't really interested in that stuff. I couldn't quite relate to a lot of the other females, and the guys and I were always wrestling for dominance to see who was better suited to be Alpha. Other than that, photography was my passion and dreams of my possible future took up the rest of my time. Whenever I actually _did_ think of what my mate could be like, it was more like Hugh Jackman from the _Van Helsing_ movie." He raised a brow at me. "Don't ask why, I was young. Plus, Australian accents are_ hot_." I added while gesturing with my hand.

"So you go from dark and mysterious to pale and murderous." Aiden popped off as I sat on the edge of the couch.

"Apparently, now scoot over." I waved my hand at him and he smirked before wrapping an arm around my waist and dragging me over to where I was trapped between the back of the couch and him.

"You liked sleeping with me, didn't you?" He lowly purred and I shot him a look.

"My room's just cold, okay? Plus, I used to sleep on the couch when I couldn't sleep. You just happen to be in the way." I grumbled, but cuddled into his chest as his chin rested on the top of my head.

"Mm, sure." Aiden hummed in amusement while holding me, but said nothing more.


	17. Coffee

"Here." Setting down the mug of coffee in front of the rogue sat at the island in the kitchen stuffing his face with eggs, his cheeks were puffed out like a squirrel's. Last night, he had managed to eat normally to an extent without inhaling his food since my parents were there, but with those two still asleep, he was eating like he normally would. I wasn't an idiot, so I figured him wolfing his breakfast down was a habit from how rogues would fight over food on a nearly constant basis.

Leaning on the counter with my own mug in my hands, I simply watched him, wondering what could possibly be going through his head after last night. Michael was quite obvious with his jealousy, and you'd have to be dead to not notice how he apparently felt for me. The Beta had made quite a few jabs at Aiden being a rogue, and the albino man no doubt disliked Michael, probably even hated him.

"Is that coffee I smell?" Dad mumbled with a tired voice as he came into the kitchen with Mom trailing behind him with her eyes still closed. They weren't much for morning people, neither was I, but Aiden had woken up rather early for some reason and hadn't really told me why. I figured it was from him not being used to sleeping in an actual house in pack lands, but from the face he had I got a hint that it may have been more.

"Yup." I said while popping the 'p'. "Fresh brewed."

"Oh, honey, you're an angel." Mom tiredly smiled and I had to clear my throat since it felt weird hearing it from her after the rogue continuously calling me that.

"An angel that'll drag you to Hell." Dad popped off. "Aiden, as a head's up, if Mia actually gets angry, run. Just run. Don't look back, don't trip, don't do anything that'll let her catch you. She _will_ destroy you." The older man pointed to the rogue.

"Dad!" I gave him a look.

"I'm not kidding, son, you just bolt for the hills, okay? You know how pups fight for their little '_Alpha_' title? It was always Mia standing on top of a pile of boys that were literally unconscious. Unconscious, I tell you."

"George, don't scare him. Don't listen to him, Aiden, he just doesn't want anyone with his baby girl." Mom handed a mug to Dad while smiling at the rogue, but his red eyes drifted to my dad's face. He was wide eyed and shaking his head, silently telling the albino man that he was being serious and not just saying stuff to keep him away from me. Sighing through my nose, I just looked at the scene playing out before me.

Honestly, I had thought my parents would be less open with Aiden, but they seemed to trust my judgement a lot more than I believed. They were quite accepting of him, but still a bit wary. However, after last night, they were only a smidgen on guard around him unlike when they had first met.

"I'll take the advice just in case." The rogue said lowly, already seeing some of what my dad was talking about with me.

"Smart boy." Dad commented before getting smacked on the shoulder from Mom.

"George! That's still Mia's mate, you're gonna make him terrified of her!"

"He's a rogue, dear, I doubt he's going to get '_terrified'._" He made air quotes with his fingers. "But that may be a smart decision." Unable to help himself, Aiden began to laugh. My heart fluttered at the gentle noise, and my parents looked at him with a bit of shock before their expressions softened. Oh no, he'd won them over. He hadn't even meant to, but the truly joy filled action he had displayed showed that he wasn't as heartless as believed.

"You're parents really love you." Aiden then turned to me with a smile and my ears went hot. That was only the second time he'd ever smiled at me like that. Mom grinned while holding her cheek.

"You're pretty different for a rogue, aren't you?" She asked, and Aiden's smile fell as he pushed some scrambled eggs around on his plate.

"No, I'm not." He said lowly. "....I'm just trying to change for your daughter. Don't be deceived, I'm still quite dangerous, and I'm still a rogue." The albino man didn't even look at them as he spoke.

"You were kicked out, right? You didn't leave by choice?" Mom spoke softly while taking a seat next to him. "I've heard of packs discarding pups that were different before, and there are beliefs in our world about wolves such as yourself, but every one of us is dangerous in our own way. We decide whether or not how we live our lives, and it's your choice from now on what you want to do with yours. If you've killed, whether it was in self-defense or not, we'll ignore that so long as you become a better person from here on. If Mia decides to make you her mate, we will have to respect her decision, but that doesn't mean we'll have to like it. However, it'd be a lot nicer if we can actually like you whenever she visits or it'll make things quite awkward, now, won't it?" Aiden just looked at her and nodded. His expression was unreadable, but I felt like there was a shift in him.

"Okay, now that the touchy-feely stuff is out of the way, we have to get ready for work." Dad popped off. Mom was a tutor while Dad helped train the young men and women wanting to protect the pack borders. Nodding to them as they left, Aiden sighed.

"I can't believe this is happening." He mumbled and I went to sit right next to him.

"What do you mean?" I asked while nudging him with my shoulder.

"....No one's ever talked to me like that, or even _looked_ at me like that." He mumbled. Softly smiling, I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, taking him by surprise.

"They actually like you, that's why."

"They don't even know me!"

"They don't have to. You saying you wanted to change for me was enough for them." Sipping from my coffee, I looked at him as he stabbed some eggs. "And that kiss was for your honesty with them. I appreciate you not lying to my parents." He paused before looking at me with a Cheshire grin.

"What'll get me a real kiss, then?" He asked, and my gaze drifted to his lips. Oh, no, I wasn't even going to try. I could still remember the taste of him from last time, and I didn't want those sinfully pleasant lips on mine. My parents were in the house to begin with, and I didn't want them walking in on the rogue and I panting and tongue tied because I knew that's where an actual kiss would lead to. "My eyes are up here, angel." He purred.

"Sorry, but our lips aren't touching any time soon." I stated.

"Is it because you might mewl like a kitten?" His voice was low as he was leaning closer. "Don't want the scent of your arousal filling the house?"

"Maybe because of your horrible morning breath? Seriously, it's like an actual wolf is just panting in my face." I popped off, and that ruined the mood completely. Score.


	18. Rogue Vs. Beta

"What the Hell is all of this?" The rogue asked as he stood in my doorway with his nose covered. Huffing, I ripped open another box to see what was inside.

"When you're unmated, others that are also unmated try to become your chosen. These are gifts to try and win me over." I answered before hearing a growl from the albino man.

"Why aren't you just throwing it all out?"

"Because there might be something useful in here. You know, like a part for my bike or something. It'll save me going to the mechanic." Pulling out fancy clothes from the box, I cringed. Never in a million years would I wear stuff like this.... Yeah, it was going to the trash pile. Now, don't get me wrong, I hadn't really made up my mind on the whole Aiden vs. Michael thing yet, but if I wasn't going to use it or need it, why keep it? As things were going though, I was obviously leaning more towards Aiden because I knew him better. Yes, Michael and I grew up together, but he was a man now and I had no idea who he was now as a person.

"You're loaded! Why do you care about going to a mechanic?" He questioned.

"Because I don't know any werewolf mechanics and humans tend to think females are idiots with vehicles. One time I went, they ended up making me spend more for parts I didn't even need and were hitting on me the entire time." I grumbled. "The hairless monkey's can get quite annoying at times."

"The same goes for wolves." Aiden popped off while eyeing the gifts in the room. Nodding in agreement, I tossed the box in front of me to a growing pile by the windows and pulled over another one to open it up. The rogue hadn't noticed that the scent he was covering his nose from came from Michael, but he could at least figure that all of the presents came from the same wolf at least....

~

"Beta Michael, how can I help you?" I asked when I opened the door to see him standing there. His hands were in his pockets while he looked down at me and I raised a brow when he just walked into the house. Aiden was with the Alpha, getting a tour of the pack lands, and about ten other wolves were with them to act as bodyguards for the Alpha in case the rogue felt like attacking. I doubted he would, but the chances of Michael showing up after Aiden had left felt like more than a coincidence....

"By now, it should be obvious why I'm here. You've seen the gifts, but I'd like to tell you in person." He began as I shut the door. "I would like you to be my chosen, Mia. I thought you'd completely turn me down when I heard you had found your mate, but now that I know he's some rogue, I know I have a better chance now." He lowly chuckled as if he had found something funny. "So, what I'm saying is, Mia, would you be my mate?"

"Wow, no hesitation or anything?" I popped off. "But you know I have to ask, what happened to your whole search for your mate?" His expression fell as he sighed and sat down on the couch.

"I found her." He mumbled. "But she didn't want a Beta." Michael rubbed his forehead. "So she went with an Alpha that had lost his last mate to a rogue attack." He explained. "She didn't tell me that, though, so I happened to walk in on them together just before he marked her." '_Damn....that's got to be shitty....'_ I thought while hesitantly patting his shoulder as I sat down.

"So you decided to come back home and, what, pick the first female you thought wouldn't have a mate by now?" I asked.

"God, no." He replied while resting his elbows on his knees. "It was always you that I wanted to be with. I loved you for your creativity and tenacity, your strength and how you could make any male run in fear. That meant I wouldn't have any competition for you, so I never worried about you going off with one of them. That was why I never said anything." Michael glanced at me. "I would have come straight home when I realized I didn't want to be some warrior, but you weren't here and I was hoping to run into you while I was looking for my mate."

"You realize this puts me in quite a tight situation, right? Not that I'm blaming you, but now I have an ultimatum to make." I said lowly, and his brows furrowed as he looked at me with disbelief.

"Do you actually have to think about this? Mia, your fated is a fucking rogue!"

"Michael, after meeting your mate, you know how it is to have that bond. I'm at least giving him a chance to prove whether or not he can change, and if he can't, then that's that." I stated firmly. "You also have to realize that you're not the person you used to be, we're not pups or teens anymore, Michael. We're grown adults and I haven't the slightest on what type of man you've become."

"I'm not so different that you'd run away from me and to a rogue." His voice had an edge in it. "We've known each other for years, and you still have to think about who to choose?" He sat up all of the way and looked me in the eye. "Mia, I'm the Beta. I have a pack, and I can treat you better than any other man could, especially that packless wolf. I know you, I know how you mess with people to keep your mind off of other things, I know how you act like a total goofball so you don't have to think about your problems, and I know you drown yourself in your work so that you have some taste of freedom without being tied down. I also know that you were actually scared to meet your fated because then you'd have to decide between leaving your home or making him leave his, but we're from the same pack, you don't have to worry about that with me!" He lightly smiled while placing a hand on his chest.

"I'm still giving him a chance, Michael. He's shown he at least deserves that."

"Oh, my Goddess, Mia! How blinded are you by this bond? He's a rogue _and_ an albino! He's cursed by the Moon Goddess herself!" He shifted in his seat to fully face me. "Has this bond already gotten so deep into your system that you're blinded to what he is?" Michael asked, but I couldn't say anything. I was a bit shocked, but I did question things between Aiden and myself from time to time on my own. "Then I'll open your eyes, Mia. He's not the only one that you can be with."

My eyes went wide when he suddenly grabbed my face and kissed me. His lips were gentle against mine, but I didn't make any move to reciprocate as I actually tried to push him away.

"Michael! What the Hell?!" I snarled when I managed to get some space between us.

"Look, Mia, I'm a Beta. I have power, I may not be an Alpha, but I have authority, I run the pack when the Alpha is away. How can I possibly be compared to a rogue who has nothing?" He lowly growled while grabbing my hands off of his chest. "Once I show you what you're not seeing, you won't even want to look at that rogue. All you'll see is me." And he purred while pushing me down on the couch and kissed me again. His lips were burning hot as the gentleness was gone and he ground his hips into mine to make me gasp as he slid his tongue into my mouth.

All I could think of as he was attacking my lips and holding me down was that it was nothing like when Aiden kissed me. There was a sinfully sweet taste to the rogue's kiss while this....this just tasted like the French Vanilla coffee Michael drank before he got here. Michael was purring as he ground his hips into mine, and I could feel and smell his arousal in the room. When he let go of one of my hands to grab my ass, I reared back my fist before hearing the front door open.

Michael heard it too, and pulled back to see who was there. The man on top of me licked his lips hungrily, still tasting me on his mouth while looking at....Aiden. The rogue just stood there with one hand still on the door, his face set into a grim expression as he looked at the scene before him. Hurt flashed in his eyes before anger did, and Michael chuckled.

"I didn't think you'd be back so early." The Beta stated. Snarling, I finally let my fist fly and hit him in the chest, causing him to fly off and have the wind knocked out of his lungs.

"You fucking bastard!" I growled, feeling my wolf baring her teeth and itching to get out.

"Oh, come on, Mia, don't be upset because the rogue caught us." He coughed a little while sitting up. "It's about time he knew he doesn't have a chance with you." Before I could even react, I heard ripping and a huge blur of white flew past my shoulder, tackling the Beta as snarling and growling filled my ears. My eyes went wide, seeing Michael transform just in time to fight back against the rogue. They were rolling around, snapping and clawing at each other while knocking into things and causing a lamp to bust on the floor.

I was being suffocated by the smell of their aggression and the pure white wolf was getting his fur stained red as the scent of blood filled the air. It was all happening so fast and fists were even flying and I believed the Beta was going to kill the rogue. Quickly looking around, I knew Aiden could be killed for attacking a Beta, and I had to somehow break up their fight. Shifting as my clothes ripped to shreds and fluttered to the floor, I went over to them and pulled the smaller of the two out of the fight. They were both snarling and swiping at each other and I drug the rogue outside as fast as I could.

Michael came barreling out of the house, tackling Aiden and I to the ground before he ripped the albino wolf off of me and continued their fight out in the open. I needed help, I couldn't hold one back because the other would just keep coming. One of them yelped, but I couldn't tell which one and neither of them was backing down. The rogue was actually holding his own against the Beta, and I raised my head towards the sky.

Howling, I was calling for my parents and hoped to the Heaven's that they could hear me. Looking back at the two scuffling and kicking up dirt, I tried to break up the fight again. Grabbing them by their scruff, I tossed them in opposite direction and snarled at either one of them that made a move to go at the other. So there I was, a small, rust colored wolf stuck between a large white werewolf and a giant one the color of tree bark. Despite my attempt at keeping them separated, the both just jumped over my head, ignoring me as they collided in the air and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Mia! Get Aiden!" My ears perked as I saw my dad running towards us with panic in his eyes. He was already shifted, knowing he wouldn't be able to do anything in his human form against these two driven by rage. Locking my arms around the albino one's waist, I grit my teeth to pull him off of the Beta and at the back of my head I realized that Aiden ended up on top more often than the Beta did.... My dad grabbed Michael and we managed to pull them apart as they were baring their teeth and growling at each other, blood dripping from their claws and teeth.

Digging my paws into the ground to keep the rogue from leaping at the Beta, my mom finally showed up and helped drag off Michael. He was stronger than the both of them, but he knew what hurting them meant and he allowed them to take him away. The albino wolf, however, was only seeing red and was trying his damnedest to get to the brown wolf that was getting further away.

"Aiden!" I shouted his name to get him to stop, and he completely froze as his ears perked. The growling that had his entire body vibrating slowly died as he was coming back from his bout of bloodlust, and I waited a few seconds to be sure that he wouldn't run off before I let him go. He slowly looked over his shoulder at me, and that look of hurt flashed in his eyes again.

"I need to know." He said lowly. "Is what I saw what really was happening or not? I need you to be honest and, God, please don't try to lie to me."


	19. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Mature content ahead, proceed at own risk.*

"Let's go back inside." I replied in a quiet tone, and he got this look on his face as he followed me back inside. Grabbing the blanket on the back of the couch, I wrapped it around myself before shifting back and looked up at Aiden. "Before you get angry again, yes, it was what it looked like. But," I quickly added. "if you think you saw him on me and me reciprocating, you're wrong. I was about to throat punch him before you walked in." The rogue's shoulders went slack as he sighed. His body shrunk down as he looked like a man again while he ran a hand over his face and held his hip.

"Why is it that it takes something like this for you to actually say my name? Do you really not want to be with me that badly?" He asked. "If that...._Beta_ is your chosen, just tell me."

"Did you not hear the part about how I was about to throat punch him?" My brows furrowed.

"Angel, you knocked me out the first time I kissed you. How am I supposed to know what your normal reaction to a kiss is?"

"Oh, my God! I panicked, okay! I didn't actually mean to knock you out!" I tightened my hold on the blanket while feeling my ears turn red from embarrassment. "And Michael is _definitely_ not my chosen. What he thought would win me over just ended up proving that he was _not_ the man I'd ever want to end up with. I can still smell him on me and it's absolutely disgusting." I snarled. "At least you didn't rub up on me like we were at the club and get a hard-on." I waved my hand.

"To be honest, I was already hard, but, yeah, keep ranting about how much you hate the bastard." Giving him a look, I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Sorry."

"Look, we better get you cleaned up. You're gonna get blood everywhere." I glanced him over, finally looking to see the extent of his wounds. However....the rogue was barely even hurt. Sure, he had some scratches here and there and a couple of bites, but most of the blood smeared on him wasn't even his! "How....?" My brows furrowed as I was obviously looking at his body. "Michael's a _Beta, _how are you not in shreds?!" My voice rose as I stepped closer and made him turn around so that I could check his back.

"I don't look like the average rogue for a reason, angel." Aiden had a hint of pride in his voice. "Now, about getting that shower? I'd rather not smell like that bastard for another second."

"Oh, right. Right." Nodding, I shook my head to get back on focus, but I was still in shock from how he could have possibly been on par with the larger Beta. Pushing the rogue up the stairs, his feet padded on the floor as I lead him to the bathroom. Opening the closet next to the sink, I pulled out a towel as the albino man climbed into the tub and turned the shower on. Setting the towel on the counter, I happened to glance over to him as I spoke again. "I'll go grab you some clothes...." My voice trailed off, seeing the blurry shape of the rogue through the glass doors in the way as he was rinsing out his white hair. The water was turning pink from the blood mixing with it, and I went back to thinking on how he possibly could have fought with Michael without getting totally pummeled.

"Oh, before you go," He then slid one of the doors back as he popped his head out while slicking his wet hair back. "I want to check something."

"What?" I came out of my daze while looking at him and seeing the serious expression on his face. His reached out, grabbing the front of the blanket wrapped around me before he drug me closer. Aiden's nose went close to my neck as he was sniffing and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as a small shiver ran down my spine. The rogue growled lowly, not moving his head as his mouth was so close to my throat.

"I can smell him on you." He said lowly as a possessive growl rumbled deep in his chest. "Get in here."

"Excuse me?"

"Unless you want me to cover that scent another way, angel, scrub it off." Aiden stated while licking up the side of my neck and nipping at my ear. Gulping, another shiver ran down my spine from his breath hitting my skin. The scent he was giving off was drowning my senses, and I didn't like how I could still feel Michael on my skin. Honestly, I wanted the rogue's touch to get rid of it, and that thought alone had my mind no longer warring against itself. My wolf purred as I lifted Aiden's jaw to make him look at me, our noses touching with how close his face was.

"You know, I actually like how you call me angel." I mumbled before planting my lips on his. He was a bit surprised, so his reaction was delayed, but he was quickly kissing back and slid his tongue into my mouth as he grabbed the back of my neck. Letting the blanket fall to the floor, I pushed the shower door open more and climbed inside without breaking the kiss. The scent of his arousal hit me like a brick wall and the growl in his chest turned to a purr as his other hand brushed along my side.

My own hands traveled up his bare torso before wrapping around the back of his neck as he had to lean down to kiss me. I could feel his erection against my lower stomach and I hopped up, wrapping my legs around his waist while purring. Aiden put both of his hands onto my ass as I was rubbing my body against his, grinding my crotch against his as the smell of my arousal filled his nose. He nipped at my lower lip as my fingers tangled in his wet hair and my wolf was howling in delight now that I was completely accepting the rogue. And, oh, Goddess, did it feel good. His skin lit a fire in me as his bare body touched mine and my insides were humming from the tingling sensation his touch left me with.

He smelt so good, tasted so good, and dear Lord, did those muscles feel good.

Aiden sort of lost his balance, his back hitting the wall under the shower head, but that didn't stop us as the water soaked my hair and had water running down my body. The albino man regained his footing before turning and hitting my back against the other wall and attacked my neck with kisses and nips. Biting my bottom lip, my mind was cloudy as I felt one of his hands sliding off of my ass and over my hip. My entire body jolted when I felt his thumb pressing against my clit, and my back slightly arched off of the tiled wall as he was grinding his pelvis into mine while rubbing his thumb in a tight circle.

His hot tongue ran over my throat, causing me to shudder while his hard cock was pressing against my ass with how hard he was. Fuck, he smelt good, and I was drowning in him again as a small moan escaped my throat. Aiden groaned as his grip on my ass tightened.

"Oh, angel, how am I supposed to keep control if that's how you sound?" He purred with his voice sounding husky as water beat down on his shoulder and side. His thumb pressed harder against my clit as he rubbed his throbbing length against my core, coating himself in my slick. I moaned again, my nails digging into his shoulders. The rogue growled, slamming his hand onto the wall beside me before thrusting his hips into me, finally burying his cock inside of me. I moaned so loudly as my head lolled back and I was glad my parents weren't here because they no doubt would have heard.

My legs tightened around his waist as he began to wildly pound his dick in and out of me, making me moan with every thrust while his fangs scraped over my collarbone. I could hear cracking and felt his nails turning into claws as they dug into my skin. The rogue was purring and panting between each groan and my hand fisted in his white hair as I felt my teeth elongating.

"Aiden~!" I moaned his name and his hips snapped forward as I heard more cracking. My other hand was on his back, digging my nails into his muscle as I was panting and unable to control how my body was leaning into his touch and my hips were bucking. His cock was pleasantly stretching my walls and it felt like the fires of hell were licking at my skin as my head felt like a muddled mess. My senses were in overdrive as I smelt the rogue and felt him, still tasting him on my tongue as his was running over the spot on my neck he would mark.

The hard tiles against my back were uncomfortable, but how the man was fucking me made me not even care. Pulling his head back by tugging his hair, I saw his cloudy, lust filled eyes that looked so much darker than they usually did as his tongue hung from his mouth as he panted. French kissing him as my tongue wrapped around his, I was careful not to accidentally bite because of how sharp my teeth were at the moment.

A long string of saliva connected our tongues when we parted and I screamed with pleasure as my head lolled back from his dick striking a certain spot. There was such a feral look in his eyes as made sure to hit that spot over and over again as he snapped his hips into me. He was watching me now, watching every twitch of my muscles and the face I was making as my breasts were bouncing from his heavy thrusts. Drool was spilling from the corners of my mouth as my claws dug deeper into his back, and he nipped at my jaw before I felt his teeth sink into the side of my neck. I screamed as I came completely undone, my body tightening around him as my vision filled with stars from the impact of my orgasm.

The rogue was still going though, pounding his cock into me as I rode out my high. Feeling his tongue lapping at the blood from my new wound, I yanked his head to the side and marked him, moaning into his skin as he went rigid and roared in pleasure with his dick still buried deep within me.

Panting and clinging to each other as we were coming down from our climaxes, I purred while nuzzling into the rogue's jaw.

"Mine." I whispered, and he purred, content that I had finally accepted him as my mate. But now that I had marked him, I could sense his wolf more strongly than I could before as I looked into his eyes. It felt as if it was pacing back and forth within a cage before Aiden began to slowly thrust into me again, ready for another round already....


	20. Confession For The Rogue

The cracking I had heard while in the shower with Aiden turned out to by his claws breaking the tiles, so that had landed me in an embarrassing conversation with my parents since it had to be repaired.... The rogue, on the other hand, was happy as a clam afterwards and was rather chipper like he got beaten with the Happy Stick. Beta Michael had to be contained in the Alpha house until he finally calmed down, and my parents told me that once he had shifted back, he passed out from blood loss.

All three of us gave the albino man a look, realizing what that meant if he injured a Beta to that extent while already being healed himself, but he didn't notice since his back was to us and he was whistling a tune while digging through the pantry for a snack. Looking at him, though, I could sense his wolf as if it was right there in the room instead of him and the amount of power I sensed from it was honestly a bit terrifying. He was a rogue, but what I was picking up on was more than even an Alpha.... What the Hell was he? ....Did it have to do with the myths about albino wolves?

As if feeling my eyes on him, Aiden looked over his shoulder at me, a little smirk on his lips. No, this didn't make sense. Why couldn't I sense it before? The amount of power a werewolf had let us know their rank, it was in their scent and oozed out of them to alert other wolves if they should back off or not. We could control how much of it leaked out with practice, but we couldn't shut it off completely and that seemed to be what the rogue had done. I assumed I could only tell now since our bond had been solidified, but I hadn't expected something like this to be dwelling within him.

"Aiden...." I mumbled and he seemed to perk to attention. "We need to talk." My tone was serious and my parents glanced at each other before quietly getting up and leaving to give us some privacy. The albino man looked confused, but left the pantry to sit at the island with me. "I know you don't want to do this, but you're going to have to tell me about your pack."

"What?"

"You can sense my wolf now, can't you?" I asked, looking him in the eye. He looked a bit confused, but nodded. "Well, that goes both ways. I can sense yours now, too." His throat moved from him swallowing and the scent of unease trickled off of him. Was it that easy to pick up his emotions before?

"And?" He was acting as if nothing was wrong.

"And I'm sensing something that's not supposed to be there." I lowered my voice. "You kicked Michael's ass, and no offence, but he's a Beta _and_ bigger than you, you should have gotten smeared."

"Maybe he's weaker than he looks?"

"I'm serious!" I snarled as my fist banged on the island. "What even are you? Why do I feel like a fucking Alpha is sitting where a rogue should be? Why can't anyone else seem to fucking sense it? You know what, that also raises a few other questions- Why the _fuck _aren't you more scarred if you've been a rogue since you were a _kid_? And why the fuck were you so healthy when we first met?" His face went stern as he sat there, and he took in a deep breath through his nose.

"To the north....there's the Buteo Regalis Pack....that's where I'm from." Aiden said while looking at his hands and my eyes went a fraction wider. That pack had been around for a long time and for good reason, they were fierce and had the best warriors, each one being tough as nails. "I was raised in secret, locked away from the others in fear of what I might do. Being albino is seen as a curse from the Moon Goddess herself, and my parents were afraid of me and what that meant for them. If their own son was born cursed, how would that reflect on them? So, they hid me for as long as they could to try and figure out what the Hell to do with me. They would have just killed me, but they didn't know if my curse would transfer to them or not, it was honestly just a bunch of superstitious mumbo-jumbo." His voice remained low as he continued. "But the thing is, I'm not cursed unless you believe in that shit. I was just born with a defect, a mutation, and I was the product of two of the worst people imaginable in that pack."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain your strength. Once you were kicked out of your pack, you would have been stripped of any power your rank gave you."

"That's what they thought as well." He replied, glancing over his shoulder to make sure my parents were gone. "And it was mostly true. But what I had left was strengthened and honed from me fighting for my survival every moment of my life for the next few years. I eventually regained what I had lost, and then some as I asserted dominance over the rogues I encountered. I was the monster they checked for every night before laying their heads down at night. Everything was fine, for me, anyways, until I was maybe around sixteen. I was spotted by a patrol and they discovered that I was still alive. They poisoned all of the water sources within the buffer zone that didn't feed into the main supply in pack lands, killing off the food source to us rogues and the other wolves that drank from the water or ate infected game to try and get me as well. That's when I began to roam, to make them think they had succeeded."

"Jesus." I mumbled. "But how did you get kicked out to begin with? You said your parents had you hidden."

"My first shift." He raised his brows. "It hurt like Hell, like I was burning in Hell, and I was screaming. They weren't there, but a family had been walking by and heard me. They came in to see what was wrong and to try and help, but I couldn't control myself back then. They found me in the basement, and I attacked when they broke the lock. I only remember the beginning and the end, but nothing in between, and I remember waking up to my bitch of a mother screaming. My hair and skin was stained in blood, flesh was under my nails and stuck between my teeth, but I hadn't eaten anything. I just tore them apart and spit it back out, there were chunks of them all over the living room and there was four of them." His brows furrowed.

"Four." He repeated. "I cried, horrified by what I had done while believing I really had been cursed, and neither of those bastards even attempted to help me understand what had happened. It wasn't until later on that I found out why I had attacked my own pack. Even if I wasn't in control, I was told my wolf would recognize his pack, but from being locked away, I didn't actually have a pack. My wolf saw them as threats invading my den, and there was no way of hiding me from the world anymore." He leaned on the island while crossing his arms. "Normally, an out of control pup could easily be subdued by an adult, but I was too strong in my crazed state. '_Part of the curse'_, they said. I was fated to destroy every thing, and the way I looked was the proof. My fur was pure white so that my sins couldn't be hidden, and my eyes were blood red as proof of the fires of Hell burning deep within me."

"Only the bastards that I called parents could actually ever sense my power, and it seemed to be an adaptation to make up for my albinism since it took away my way of camouflaging myself. Like the Moon Goddess took something from me, but gave me something else to somehow make up for it." Aiden ran a hand through his hair while sighing. "So, after killing that family, I was banished and left to the rogues to take care of. What they didn't think of, though, was that if I could rip apart a family of four while they were out, how was a couple of ferals supposed to take me down? Rogue's hardly ever worked together, and I could have picked them off like flies if I honestly wanted to, but I was too scared, too horrified at myself."

"But then you had no choice if you wanted to survive, and it just escalated from there?" I questioned.

"Right. And in a way, I still got my inheritance with the other rogues."

"What the fuck does that mean?" My nose scrunched up, and his eyes locked with mine.

"They were terrified of me, and whatever I said went. They were too scared to defy me, and it stayed that way in every territory I lived in after becoming the dominant wolf among those lawless wolves." My brows furrowed at his reply. An inheritance implied something he would have gotten from his family, but what he described was like being Alpha to rogues without actually being the Alpha since there was no pack. Then it hit me what he meant as my eyes widened. Leaning back, I just looked at him.

"Is that why you hate Alphas? Because you're parents were...." And my voice trailed off as I was having a hard time processing it.

"Alphas." He nodded. "But now I'm just a rogue with more power than I'm supposed to have." Aiden then slightly tilted his head to the side. "So you can feel it?" The albino man pointed to his head. "You can feel him pacing, can't you?" I slowly nodded and his jaw clenched. "He used to be so calm in my head, but after our first taste of blood, he became like a caged animal and the only thing that used to keep him sated was killing."

"Used to?"

"Now there's something else that makes it easier to keep him under control."

"What?"

"You." He stated while touching the bite on the side of his neck. "Your scent drives us crazy, but when you're close....there's peace." Then the rogue smirked. "Unless he's howling for me to mount you." And my ears and face went red since I couldn't deny that my wolf did the same. She knew her mate when she smelled him and she was a horny motherfucker purring and howling in my head to be up close and personal with the rogue.


	21. Regret

But then it hit me.

Every morning I woke up with him holding onto me, it wasn't just because it was something he did to get close to me, it was because of his wolf. It was to keep it under control.

That honest look of relief when he said I brought him peace was like a punch to the gut and I didn't know what to do about that. Goddess.... And not only that....to _finally_ know all of these things about him made me realize what I could have missed had I continued to run from him. I never would have gotten to see those smiles, hear that laugh, feel that comforting embrace, and I would have instead come home and agreed to be Michael's chosen. I would have lived Goddess knows what type of life with that Beta that was so eager to try and tear me from my fated by brute force.

Feeling his wolf as he was looking at me....it gave me a sense of understanding. No, it did not excuse everything he has done, but it helped me understand _why_.

"Aiden," I began, sensing how the beast within him reacted to his name. "Don't think I'm taking pity on you, but....I'm so sorry." I gently placed my hand over his. "I'm so sorry for what I have done to you. Goddess, I was blind. You weren't a form of punishment to torture me for my sins, you are a blessing."

"Mia....are you broken?" Aiden raised his brow at me, looking down at my hand with confusion.

"No, you idiot. I'm apologizing." Holding my forehead with my other hand, I sighed. "Shit, I feel so horrible now. Fuck, and there's no way to fix what I did to you-"

"Oh, shut up." Aiden sighed, getting up and stepping around the island to stand next to me. "I didn't tell my sob story to get you to feel like a shitty person. Stop with this, it's honestly weird. Just....punch me or something instead."

"You dumbass." I chuckled, but I still felt a pain in my chest. The albino man just tilted my chin up and gave me a gentle kiss.

"Yes, but now I'm _your_ dumbass." He smirked before sighing again. "Okay but seriously, this mood is too...." Aiden made a face.

"It may be, but with how things are now, with how I know these things now, this mood was bound to come." I looked up at him, and from his tense shoulders and scent, I knew he knew what it was that I was feeling.

Regret.

Guilt.

It was as if it was all finally crashing down on me, how I treated my mate- _my **mate**_\- how I ran from him and pushed him away. Yes, he was horrible at first, but he did what he said he was going to. He changed. For me. A stranger destined to him by the Moon Goddess, he was willing to drop everything for me, and I was too blinded by prejudice and past experiences to even let him near me.

"How about this then," He glanced down at our hands still together. "don't give me anymore shit about me being a rogue, and I'll forget how you flat out rejected me when we first met ? Sound like a deal? Or, ya know, we could fight for dominance and whoever wins can do whatever to the other as revenge for anything." And that sultry look he gave changed the atmosphere entirely as he leaned down for another kiss.

"We both already know how that'll turn out." I chuckled.

"Mm, I dunno. Maybe I might throw the fight just to see you on top."

"Oh, you thought I was implying you'd win? Ha! Dream on, Powder." I popped off while his lips were remaining just a centimeter away.

"Is that so? You trying to make me prove you wrong?"

"Hey, I understand you two are new to being mates and all, but we're still here!" My mom shouted from the other room.

"We can take this to the woods if you wanna-"

"No." I cut him off, chuckling while pushing his face back by my finger over his lips. "We have other things to take care of before we're going for a third round today."

"Fourth." Aiden grinned.

"What?"

"We've already done it three times today, so we'd be going for a fourth." He then licked his lips hungrily. "Twice in the shower, then once again in your room when we were trying to get dressed." I felt my ears grow hot since I had actually momentarily forgotten we had done it twice in the shower.

"Whatever!" I got up from my seat and walked away. "We still have things to take care of!" Hearing the albino man give a light-hearted laugh from behind me, I honestly felt much better now.


	22. Metal Collar

The next few days were like a roller coaster due to the marks finally placed on Aiden and I by each other. We hardly left the house or even wore clothes simply because the new found feeling of touching one another was just too damn addicting. However, the two of us had been banished to the cellar for....safety purposes.

We were bonding just as our wolves were through the touching and the fucking and when we weren't getting sweaty and moaning we were just holding each other and simply talking. Was it always like this between new mates? I mean, I wasn't complaining, but this right here....I could get lost in it.

"Aiden...." I spoke low, feeling his thumb gently rubbing my arm while my back was to his bare chest.

"Hm?"

"Why do you think the Goddess paired us?" His thumb paused and he leaned forward to kiss my cheek.

"I don't know. But does anyone really know why the Goddess does what she does?"

"But what if I hadn't gone to that pack territory? What if I had continued to reject you? Goddess knows how I am, she knows my thoughts on rogues- why pair me with one? Why give a rogue a mate that wasn't another rogue?"

"It's because the Goddess knows you. She knew you'd go to that territory. She knew you wouldn't keep rejecting me. As for the rest....who knows." His voice was soft as he draped his arm over my side. "No one really knows what the Goddess has planned for them, but I'd like to think this was my shot at redemption." I rolled over, looking up at Aiden as he propped his head up on his knuckles.

"Well, so far, you're doing really good with it." Placing my index finger onto his chin, I liked how we could indulge in such a calm and domestic atmosphere. I knew this was just temporary, but it was nice to have at least this before we had to go back into the world. Our wolves seemed content with it as well since they were calm and not even pacing.

~

"So, where do you plan on heading to next?" My mother asked while sitting down at the table with a plate of food.

"I don't have any specifics planned, but I can always just call some Alpha up and see if they're okay with me coming. Oh, but I still need to get Aiden his own bike.....and a license." I looked up from my dinner to glance at the albino man across the table. "I think we should do that first."

"You need a license for a bike? I thought that was just cars." He nonchalantly asked before shoving some beef into his mouth.

"Oh, dear." My father sighed and grabbed his glass to take a drink. "Maybe you should give him some lessons before even taking him to get a license."

"....Good idea."

"What?"

"You living in the wild has limited your knowledge of the human world." I simply stated and there was a knock at the door.

"I'll see who it is." Dad wiped his mouth with a napkin before getting up from the table and going to the living room.

"Yeah, well, I've got all the time in the world to learn now." Aiden sighed, stabbing some meat with his fork. "It's not my fault humans are so damn complex and whiny with their rules."

"You say and yet you're the same." I popped off.

"Me? The same? Please."

"You're an albino rouge descended from Alphas and played a similar role of Alpha to rogues, I'd say that's pretty complex. Not to mention now that you actually wear clothes you're so picky about them."

"Look, if I'm gonna have to cover my glorious self, I want to at least look good." The male joked and I snorted while Mom just chuckled. "Te-" The rogue stopped himself as soon as the Alpha and some other wolves entered the kitchen with my father behind them. Their expressions were serious and the Alpha was looking at us as we sat at the table.

"Mia," The Alpha's gaze turned to me specifically and the other wolves with him spread out, blocking me in where I was as if I might run. What the fuck was going on? "you are under arrest for the assault of Beta Michael. Seeing as you were not fighting for rank, this is a clear crime against the pack just as much as it was against the Beta. You will be given a proper trial within a few days." I jumped from my seat and the guards tensed, ready to grab me if I bolted.

"What the fuck are you talking about?! I didn't _'assault'_ Beta Michael!" I rose my voice and Aiden knocked over his chair from how quickly he got up, already growling and baring his teeth and Mom looked worried as she looked to the Alpha.

"Sir, Mia's been here, there's no way she could have attacked the Beta."

"It happened a few days ago. Beta Michael was too injured to report it until earlier today. We know what you did, Mia, so there's no use denying it. Your scent was still all over the man."

"_I_ did that!" Aiden smacked a hand onto his chest. "_He_ was assaulting Mia so I kicked his fuckin' ass."

"Say what you like, _rogue_, but there's no way you could have defeated a Beta of Michael's caliber. However, I will find it honorable that you are willing to take the fall for your....mate." The Alpha nodded in the albino's direction before waving his hand and the guards closed in around me.

"Now, just hold on a minute!" My dad rose his voice, stepping up with his hands raised. "Beta Michael was defeated fairly by Aiden- the only one assaulted was my daughter and by the Beta. These allegations are false, Alpha."

"George, I know you want to protect your family, but you know as well as I do that a rogue _can't_ defeat a Beta- especially not that badly. Michael still had bruises and that only implies how bad it had been before. I hate to do this to you, but you and your wife are witnesses in the matter."

"If Aiden can't beat Michael, what makes you think I could?" I snarled and the Alpha narrowed his eyes at me and my display of defiance.

"Because, Mia, you've always been the strongest among your generation- you just never fought for rank. I you could have made a good Beta, or even Alpha, but I'm just ashamed by your actions as of late. There was no reason to do what you did to Michael." The Alpha shook his head at me before glancing to the guards and one grabbed me from behind. Of course, I resisted and drove my elbow into his cheek.

"Mia!" My mother shrieked and Aiden jumped clear over the table and tackled another guard as they were closing in.

"Alpha! Please, there's been a mistake! Mia didn't-"

"Take them to the other room." The Alpha waved my father off and wolves drug him and my mom into the next room. "Please, Mia, don't make this harder on yourself. The more you fight, the worse the sentence will be."

"I didn't do shit! Michael's a fuckin' liar!" I yelled as the guards shifted to overpower me in my human form. I could hear Aiden fighting and more guards entered the kitchen to pin him down and grab me. "Let me go, you idiots!" I snapped my jaws and I felt the shift coming as my teeth and claws were sharpening, but a metal collar was clipped around my throat to prevent me from doing so. I dug my feet into the floor, I struggled as much as I could against the wolves, but within seconds I was outside and the night air nipped at my skin.

"I didn't fuckin' do shit!" I shouted, kicking up dust an dirt as I glared at the Alpha. "That bitch is lying! Just fucking listen to me! Michael came here and wanted me to be his chosen and I denied him! Stop fucking dragging me! He was trying to force a bond but before I could do anything Aiden was there and _that's _what happened! The Beta is a god damned liar!" No one seemed to be listening to me as I was getting further and further from my parents' house.

The Alpha was only a few steps away, following the guards dragging me while ignoring my every word. His hands were crossed behind his back and I felt a fire lighting in my chest and throat. I knew Michael wasn't the same person he had been when we were growing up, but I didn't think he was this much of a bastard. This was utter betrayal.

"Listen to me!" I growled before a roar echoed from the house. Everyone stopped and the front door flew off the hinges, splintering from the impact and the Alpha and guards stopped to look. My heart was racing in my chest as I saw the large, white wolf in the doorway, a clawed hand on the frame as he ducked to step out, teeth bared and glistening in the moonlight as fresh blood caked his muzzle and hands. The air shook with his growl and those red eyes of his were full of fury and....bloodlust.


	23. Accusing the Accuser

"Let me go, now." I said lowly, not taking my eyes off of Aiden. "Unless you want to die." The rogue's growls were like rumbling thunder as he stalked closer, his ears perked to attention as he eyed the Alpha and the wolves holding me.

"That's a big ass rogue." One of them said under their breath and I felt the hold on me loosen in the slightest. These wolves were afraid, and for good reason.

"Why did you stop? Keep going." The Alpha fully turned to face Aiden, standing between the white wolf and I. "I said, _go_." He lowly growled and I was being drug off again.

"You idiot!" I struggled, watching the Alpha shift as Aiden was now running our way. "Stop! _Stop!_" Digging my heels into the dirt, I grunted while shifting as much as I could with the collar on. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to get the advantage to break free. Kicking and hitting the wolves, my heart beat ice into my veins as I heard the vicious snarling of the two wolves now fighting. "Aiden!" I screamed, bolting towards the two large beasts biting and clawing at each other.

Oh, Goddess, no, he was going to get killed. Beta Michael was one thing, but Gerard was an Alpha, and had been for years. Even if Aiden happened to be physically stronger- which, I had no clue if he was or not- Gerard had experience fighting just to keep his rank, and that was usually a fight to the death or until one submitted to the other. 

Gerard kicked Aiden back, putting space between them which gave me the chance to intervene. I stood right in the middle of the two, lifting my arms as the white wolf's wild eyes landed on me. His fur was even more stained in blood and I couldn't tell what was his and what wasn't, it all looked the same. His teeth were still bared, saliva and blood dripping from his fangs and into the grass as he was panting and flexing his claws.

"Aiden!" I shouted, hoping to get through to him because it was clear he was not the one in control right now. What stood in front of me now was that pacing beast I sensed within the albino man. "_Stop-_ it's okay. I'm okay."

"Mia, _move_." The Alpha growled, but I ignored him. I shouldn't have come home. I shouldn't have brought Aiden here. Goddess, I was so stupid- he's a rogue, of course shit would have happened with him here. I just didn't think I'd be getting arrested now....

"Look at me." I snapped my fingers when those red eyes drifted back to the Alpha and a violent fury flashed across the white wolf's face. Taking a step forward, Aiden tensed, giving a warning growl as he licked his teeth.

"Mia, I said move! _This_ is why we don't mess with rogues. Nothing but violent _beasts_."

"Don't listen to him." I took another step forward. "Aiden, it's okay. I'm right here. Just calm down." His eyes shot between the Alpha and I but settled on me seeing as I was closer. His shoulders were still rising and falling from his heavy breathing, but his tail that had been in the attack position was beginning to lower. "That's it. Calm down." My voice softened and Aiden lowered his head.

Cautiously placing a hand onto his snout, I ignored the slick feeling of blood as I ran my fingers through his fur. His aggressive demeanor began to melt away while the growling died in his throat. That was a good sign.

In all honesty, what I was doing was extremely dangerous, but I was putting faith in what Aiden had told me before about how his wolf reacted to me. If I calmed it when I was near the albino man, then I was hoping the same applied to when it was out and in control.

So far it seemed to be working as he leaned into my touch and pulled me closer. I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until I let it go as he began to shift back into his human form. Aiden buried his face into my shoulder, wrapping his arms around me tightly despite his injuries and I gently placed my hands onto the back of his head and shoulder. I could feel the blood staining my clothes, but it wasn't really high on the list of my priorities at the moment.

"Alpha Gerard, surely now you can believe that it was Aiden that fought Beta Michael and not me." I stated without even looking the Alpha's way. "Michael tried to force a mate bond with me and Aiden protected me, as a mate should. My scent was all over Michael because _he_ was all over _me_." I felt Aiden tense while growling lowly. "You can't arrest me for something I didn't do."

"Mia, there still has to be a trial." The Alpha stated after a quiet pause and I turned my head to look at him. "Even if what you say is true, then a crime was committed either way. By your accusation, Michael will be turned rogue if he's found guilty of even attempting to force a mate bond." There was a bitter look in his eyes as he looked at me. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Baring my teeth, I didn't even have to think about it.

"_Yes_." The Alpha's jaw clenched as he heard my answer. He may not like the situation, he may not want to put his Beta on trial, but as an Alpha he had no choice. If he turned a blind eye to this, the pack would turn against him as soon as word got out.

"Because of the crime Michael claims you have committed, I still have to take you into custody." Aiden growled, but the Alpha ignored him and kept talking. "There are still rules that have to be followed, Mia. The only difference now is that Michael, too, will be put on trial. It will only be for a few days, and then once it's done and the sentences are carried out, it's over."

"But I didn't-"

"That's not for me to decide. I am the judge, but the pack is the jury. Until they have decided whether you are guilty or innocent, you still have to be put under guard."


	24. Trial

"Mia Jones, do you swear on the Moon Goddess to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?" Clarita questioned me.

"I do." Nodding, she stepped forward to unlock the cuffs on my wrists, but the collar stayed on. Rubbing my wrists, I looked up at the woman as she continued to speak.

"Are you aware you are being put on trial for the unlawful assault on Beta Michael Harolds?"

"I am."

"And are you aware that if said crime is proven true you will be banished from pack lands?"

"I'm aware." Clarita nodded and she went to sit down since the Beta had already gotten the same questioning. He currently sat at a table a few yards away, not even bothering to look at me as he kept his eyes ahead to the tree stump carved into the shape of a chair. Behind us sat the pack- most of it, anyway. Any adult wolf that could come and didn't have to watch children were present so that they could act as the jury. The wolf standing next to me, however, was pretty much my lawyer to help me defend my case.

The Alpha walked in and sat down in the large chair, momentarily closing his eyes while sighing through his nose before speaking.

"As Beta Michael was the first of the two to make an accusation, he shall go first to defend his case." The Alpha waved his hand towards Michael and he shifted in his seat as the wolf acting as his lawyer stood. Johnathan turned to the pack and looked over their faces.

"Now, we all know Beta Michael very well. We know the kind of man he is, and we know how much he's done for the pack. Beta Michael was _assaulted_ by Miss Jones, beaten to the point that he had multiple broken bones, severe bruising, and various lacerations. Now, this assault was _not_ to take his rank, no- this was a _malicious_ attack that was unwarranted. Then, when our Alpha went to arrest Miss Jones for her crime, she accused Beta Michael of trying to force a mate bond _and_ that it was in fact her _**rogue**_ fated that attacked Beta Michael in defense." Johnathan pointed at me and I heard the pack begin to murmur.

"As proof of the attack, we have photos of the injuries Beta Michael sustained. However, these photos were taken after some healing had already occurred, so know that the initial degree of injury was _much _worse." Johnathan opened the briefcase on the table Michael sat at and pulled out a few photos and held them up into the air for the pack to see. There were a few gasps and I glanced to William, hoping he knew how to do his job like Johnathan clearly did. "These injuries speak volumes, do they not? The strength it would take to do this to a _Beta_. No rogue could do this- we all know it. And what else do we know? We know that Miss Jones is well known for exactly that- her power. She's yet to loose a sparring match, even to Beta Michael."

"May I interject?" William raised his hand and the Alpha nodded. "Thank you, Alpha. Johnathan is good, isn't he? Having photographic proof, even." William faced the pack before looking to the back door and waving. "I, however, would like you all to know the truth of the matter. These," He gestured with his left hand. "are all gifts from Beta Michael to Mia. The ones that had yet to be thrown out, at least." Some people came in carrying boxes- the very boxes that had filled my room and made it reek of Beta Michael. "Now, it's also _very_ clear where these gifts came from. These gifts were all rejected by Mia, she was even in the process of giving them away and even trashing them! These gifts make it obvious that Beta Michael was indeed infatuated with Mia and intended for her to be his chosen. Exhibit A." William opened one of the boxes and held up deer pelts and antlers.

"Just a gift between friends, you may think, but how about this?" He opened another box and pulled out....a baby doll negligee that was almost completely transparent. "I don't know about you folks, but I don't exactly go out and buy and gift lingerie to my friends." William dropped the dress back into the box and waved to the rest. "In each of these you will find various gifts, all covered in the _exact_ same scent as Beta Michael. You can imagine how he must have felt when Mia came back home with her fated mate- one who is a rogue, no less- and showed no interest in him. I would imagine it was hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that Mia didn't want him even though he's a Beta."

"Alpha-"

"Hold." The Alpha raised his hand to silence Johnathan.

"The night Beta Michael was attacked, he came to Mia's home under false pretenses and then tried to seduce her. Mia, again, rejected his advances but Beta Michael wouldn't take no for an answer and tried to force a mate bond onto Mia. It was then that Aiden, the rogue, came upon them and intervened to protect his fated. Shortly after, Mia called for her parents- Ah, yes, _this_ is what was happening when Mia howled." William waved his finger, knowing everyone in the room had heard the howl. "She and her father had to pull Aiden and Beta Michael apart to stop the fight. It truly was the rogue that beat the Beta to the state shown in those photos. If you want proof, simply have a look at the rogue himself."

I lifted my head, looking towards the door with anticipation. A large white werewolf walked in, head held high and shoulders squared- an air of dominance surrounding him and the pack gasped. Their reaction was pretty similar to mine the first time I had seen Aiden. He was large for a rogue, broad and covered in muscle, and hardly any scars at all. He was near silent walking to the front, his claws clacking in the floor.

"See what I mean, folks? Aiden is no normal rogue. He's not starved, beaten, frail- he could pass for one of you. If you think looks aren't convincing enough, why not ask our Alpha what happened the night he went to arrest Mia." William turned to the Alpha and so did the pack as Aiden sat next to me and nuzzled into my cheek. "Why not tell us, Sir, what happened that night?" The Alpha cleared his throat, shifting in his seat because he knew his statement would validate that Aiden very well could have been the one that had attacked Michael.

"In a means to protect Mia....Aiden fought against various other wolves....myself included." More gasps came from behind me.

"And what was the outcome?" William urged the Alpha to continue.

"Aiden rendered the other wolves unconscious....and....held his own against me until Mia intervened. He displayed power equivalent to, or even above, that of a Beta." He rubbed his brow and I was so glad William was representing me. The man knew what he was doing.

"If I may...." Johnathan stood up. "Just because the rogue displayed such strength does not mean Beta Michael was not attacked by Miss Jones, nor does it mean that he did as Miss Jones has accused. Her scent was all over him, proof that the two had close quarters contact. Now, whether that came from her attacking him, or him trying to do as she claims, has yet to be proven."

"Then why not question the witness?" William raised his eyebrows. "Aiden was there. He's even admitted himself that _he_ was the one that attacked Beta Michael."

"Question a _rogue_? He's her fated, no less. He'd say anything to defend her, not to mention they're known liars!" Johnathan waved his hand and Aiden gave a low growl.

"Don't start that here." I whispered, running my hands through his mane and his growl died down.

"What you seem to fail to realize, Johnathan, is Aiden would have no reason to take the fall for Mia. Hell, it would actually be beneficial to him if she were banished. With no pack, he would be all that she had, and yet that's not what he's doing. Instead, he's trying to tell the truth and keep her in the pack- the very pack judging him at every turn and urging Mia to deny him." William placed his hands onto the table in front of me and looked over the faces in the crowd. "I've given evidence of Beta Michael's infatuation with Mia, statements from various sources- Alpha's included- prove Aiden is very much capable of fighting Beta Michael, and her own father who was at the scene even attests it was Aiden that fought Beta Michael. All of this already proves that he lied about Mia attacking him, and what other reason would cause the fight to happen than the reason Mia gives?"

"He's a _rogue_. He doesn't _need _a reason to fight."

"I beg to differ!" William stood up all of the way and paced. "Since coming to our pack lands, not once has Aiden given any of you reason to suspect he is a blood thirsty brute. He's been rather well mannered, followed all rules, and other than protecting Mia, his _fated_, he's not even raised a hand in violence. Even then, can you blame him for wanting to protect his fated? The _one_ person the Goddess herself has chosen for him? I think not."

"Beta Michael, Mia, you may now rise." The Alpha stated and I stood up. "Johnathan and William have both argued your cases and presented evidence and testimonies to support your claims. Have you anything else to say before the pack is to decide the verdict?"

"I do, Alpha." I spoke up before Michael had the chance, allowing me to go first.

"Go on."

"Believe whatever you may want but my claim_ is_ the truth. And Aiden is not only my fated, he is my chosen." Reaching up, I moved the collar and my shirt to show the bite that solidified the mate bond. There was only a second of silence before Michael slammed a hand onto the table in front of himself, cracking the wood.

"You fucking whore! You choose the fucking _rogue_ over _me_?! **ME**?! I'm a fucking _Beta_ and that bitch is packless!" He bared his sharpening fangs at me and Aiden snarled from my side. "I was an idiot to think you'd be the perfect mate- you're just trash like your Goddess damned fated!"

And that....that was all it took. Michael's outburst was what broke the people's faith in him. Before, there was still a chance they'd rule in his favor because the 'knew' him from the years he spent in the pack, but him roaring and cursing and name-calling- Hell, even admitting he wanted to mate me- just broke his case. I had no doubt in my mind now that, even with Aiden being a rogue, the pack would find Michael guilty.


End file.
